Stardust Accelerator: Digital Warrior
by Draconos13
Summary: [BASED ON "Stardust Accelerator" GAME EVENTS, CUSTOM DECK AND OC USED, POTENTIAL AKIZA/OC ROMANCE] Waking up in the slum-like Satellite with amnesia and a custom-made Deck of digital creations, I find myself at a crossroads between what is right and wrong in society through the game of Duel Monsters. But is there really something veiled by the image of a simple card game?
1. C1: Netrunner, Initialize! First Duel!

**Hello all! This is a simple idea I've had in the back of my mind for a few months now (and viewing several other Stardust Accelerator fanfictions on this very site). So, I thought I could give this a shot. I'll probably fail, but we'll see!**

**In any case, I've decided to make a custom deck for my character (I mean, who doesn't like the idea of custom cards? Anyone? Anyone?). This deck is based off of cards from the "Living Card Game" (LCG) called "Android: Netrunner", published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2012. This game has become IMMENSELY popular since then, and Fantasy Flight have added a lot to the theme of this game. **

**Each card in this deck is based of an actual "Android: Netrunner" card used by one of the two asymmetric sides in game: I have tried my best to balance out each card for the Duel Monsters format. The deck's main theme is based around manipulating the Battle Damage normally caused in combat in order to activate powerful effects, with a minor theme in Special Summoning during the Battle Phase for more attacks (and more effects!).**

**Now before any of you go crazy about overpowered cards or ruling errors, let me drop a rules clarification on you. According to "Yu-Gi-Oh!" wikia, Monsters can still be destroyed by Battle even if Battle Damage is prevented. The vice-versa also works: Battle Damage can still be dealt even if monsters aren't destroyed. If you doubt me, look it up (I had to several times myself)!**

**So! Here are the monsters, spells, traps and Speed spells of my deck!** "Not necessarily in that order..."** If you have any questions, clarifications or comments about my deck or how to make it better/improved, please let me know!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the card game Yu-Gi-Oh!, the company Konami or the Living card game Android: Netrunner and the company Fantasy Flight Games. I DO own my custom cards (but not their names and design templates) and my OC.**

**Onward to the Ideas!**

* * *

><p>MONSTERS-<br>1: Snitch  
>Attribute: DARK<br>Level: 2  
>Type: ProgramTuner/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 1000/800  
>Effect: If this card is Special Summoned: Until the End Phase: This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and select 1 monster your opponent controls. Take control of the selected monster until the End Phase.<p>

2: Bug  
>Attribute: LIGHT<br>Level: 3  
>Type: ProgramTuner/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 1300/1000  
>Effect: If you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this turn: You can Special Summon this card from your hand during the Battle Phase. If this card would deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage, reveal your opponent's hand and select 1 card from it; discard the selected card to the Graveyard.<p>

3: Grifter  
>Attribute: LIGHT<br>Level: 3  
>Type: AvatarEffect  
>ATKDEF: 1600/800  
>Effect: If this card would deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Gain Life Points equal to the Damage dealt. If this card is destroyed by Battle and sent to the Graveyard: Lose Life Points equal to the original ATK of the opposing monster.<p>

4: Expert Schedule Analyzer  
>Attribute: LIGHT<br>Level: 4  
>Type: ProgramTuner/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 1600/1000  
>Effect: If you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this turn: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card would deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and reveal Spell or Trap Cards your opponent controls up to the number of other Program or Avatar-Type monsters you control. Any card revealed by this effect is Set at the end of the Battle Phase.<p>

5: Cyber-Cypher  
>Attribute: WIND<br>Level: 4  
>Type: ProgramEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2000/1200  
>Effect: When this monster is Summoned: select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. If you cannot do this: Reduce this card's ATK to half its original ATK. If you successfully select a monster: Reduce that monster's original ATK by half until the selected monster leaves the field or this card is destroyed. This card cannot attack while the selected monster remains on the field. The selected monster cannot attack this card as long as you control another monster. All Battle Damage this card inflicts to your opponent is halved.<p>

6: Pipeline  
>Attribute: EARTH<br>Level: 4  
>Type: ProgramEffect  
>ATKDEF: 1700/1800  
>Effect: If you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this turn: You can discard this card from your hand: Increase or decrease the LVL of one monster on your field or in your hand by 1. If this card would deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and select one other monster you control. Until the End Phase: The selected monster can attack your opponent's Life Points directly.<p>

7: Rielle "Kit" Peddler  
>Attribute: DARK<br>Level: 4  
>Type: MachineCyborg/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 1800/1500  
>Effect: If this card would deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and choose 1 of the following Effects:<br>-Select 1 LVL 4 or lower Machine or Human-Type monster in your hand: Special Summon that monster, OR  
>-Gain Life Points equal to the lowest ATK value among face-up monsters you control.<p>

8: Keyhole  
>Attribute: WATER<br>Level: 4  
>Type: ProgramEffect  
>ATKDEF: 0/2100  
>Effect: All Battle Damage involving this Defense Position card is reduced to 0. This card cannot attack. Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1: You can activate one of the following effects:<br>-Until the end of this turn's Battle Phase: One face-up monster on your field with the lowest ATK value (other than this card) can attack your opponent's Life Points directly, OR  
>-Prevent all Battle Damage that would be dealt this turn by monsters you control (This effect overrides all other instances of Battle Damage prevention that would activate this turn). For each instance Battle Damage that is prevented in this way: Reduce the ATK of each monster your opponent controls by 400 until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn.<p>

9: Gordian Blade  
>Attribute: LIGHT<br>Level: 4  
>Type: ProgramUnion/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 2000/100T  
>Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can either equip this card to a Program, Avatar, Human or Machine-Type monster you control as an Equip Spell Card OR Special Summon this card to your side of the field. The equipped monster has its original ATK doubled during the Battle Phase only. If the equipped monster or this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and double the original ATK of one other face-up monster you control until the end of the Battle Phase (This effect combines with any other effects that would activate when Battle Damaged would be prevented: This card does not negate them). If you use this effect: only the targeted monster can inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this Battle Phase. A monster can only have one Union monster equipped at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed: Destroy this card instead.<p>

10: Gabriel Santiago  
>Attribute: LIGHT<br>Level: 5  
>Type: MachineCyborg/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 2200/2100  
>Effect: If this card would inflict the first amount of Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this turn: Gain Life Points equal to twice the Damage dealt this way. If this card would otherwise inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Gain Life Points equal to half the Damage dealt this way.<p>

11: Ken "Express" Tenma  
>Attribute: WIND<br>Level: 5  
>Type: MachineClone/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 2400/1800  
>Effect: If this card is on your field at the beginning of your turn: This card must attack first during each of your Battle Phases. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Reduce the LVL of one monster in your hand by 1 until the End Phase. You can Normal Summon or Set one additional time this turn if you successfully use this card's effect. This effect can only be used once per turn.<p>

12: Laramy Fisk  
>Attribute: EARTH<br>Level: 5  
>Type: HumanEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2100/2000  
>Effect: Until the End Phase of a turn you deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Reduce the LVL of this card by 1. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and force your opponent to discard 1 card from their hand for each Program or Avatar-Type monster you control, and then draw the same number of cards from their Deck.<p>

13: Shillouette  
>Attribute: DARK<br>Level: 5  
>Type: HumanEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2300/2000  
>Effect: Until the End Phase of a turn you deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Reduce the LVL of this card by 1. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and return a number of cards your opponent controls to their hand up to the number of Program and Avatar-Type monsters you control.<p>

14: Ghost Runner  
>Attribute: DARK<br>Level: 5  
>Type: AvatarEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2100/1700  
>Effect: If you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this turn: Reduce the LVL of this card by 1 until the End Phase. During the Damage Step of a battle involving this card: Pay intervals of 100 Life Points, to a maximum of 1000: Increase this card's ATK by the spent amount until the end of the Damage Step.<p>

15: Snowball  
>Attribute: WATER<br>Level: 5  
>Type: ProgramEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2200/1500  
>Effect: Once per turn; If you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points this turn: You can reveal this card from your hand: Gain Life Points equal to the Damage dealt. If this card would deal Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and select 1 other monster you control: Increase the selected monster's ATK by 400 per LVL it has until the End Phase.<p>

16: Battering Ram  
>Attribute: EARTH<br>Level: 6  
>Type: ProgramEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2400/1800  
>Effect: If you Tribute Summoned this card during a turn which you inflicted Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Destroy 1 card your opponent controls. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and destroy 1 card your opponent controls.<p>

17: Sneakdoor Beta  
>Attribute: DARK<br>Level: 6  
>Type: ProgramEffect  
>ATKDEF: 1900/2100  
>Effect: This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly; Any Battle Damage this card inflicts this way is halved. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points in a battle with an opponent's monster: You can prevent the Damage and select 1 monster your opponent controls: The selected monster cannot attack until the start of your next turn.<p>

18: John Massanori  
>Attribute: EARTH<br>Level: 6  
>Type: HumanEffect  
>ATKDEF: 2500/2200  
>Effect: During the turn you inflicted Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can discard this card from your hand: Special Summon 1 Human or Machine-Type monster from your hand. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and lose 800 Life Points: If you do: up to two target Spell or Trap card your opponent controls cannot be activated until the end of the Battle Phase.<p>

SYNCHRO MONSTERS-  
>1: Eden Shard<br>Attribute: LIGHT  
>Level: 8<br>Type: Avatar/Program/Synchro/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 2500/3000  
>Effect: 1 Program-type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters<br>If this card is Synchro Summoned during a turn you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Gain Life Points equal to the highest amount of Battle Damage dealt. If this card attacks a Defense Position Monster: Inflict Piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and gain Life Points equal to the Damage prevented this way.

2: Hades Shard  
>Attribute: DARK<br>Level: 8  
>Type: AvatarProgram/Synchro/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 3000/2500  
>Effect: 1 Program-type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters<br>If this card is Synchro Summoned during a turn you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Inflict Damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the highest amount of Battle Damage dealt. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster: Inflict Piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. Double all Battle Damage this card deals.

3: Utopia Shard  
>Attribute: EARTH<br>Level: 8  
>Type: AvatarProgram/Synchro/Effect  
>ATKDEF: 2800/2800  
>Effect: 1 Program-type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters<br>If this card is Synchro Summoned during a turn you dealt Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: Reduce the ATK and DEF of all monsters your opponent controls by the highest amount of Battle Damage until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster: Inflict Piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the Damage and increase the ATK of all other face-up monsters you control by an amount equal to the Damage prevented this way.

SPELLS  
>1: Stimhack<br>Type: Normal  
>Effect: Activate only during your Main Phase 1. Increase the ATK of all face-up monsters you control by 1000 until the end of the Battle Phase. At the beginning of the End Phase: Lose 1000 Life Points. This loss of Life Points cannot be prevented or reduced in any way.<p>

2: Emergency Shutdown  
>Type: Quick-Play<br>Effect: Change the Battle Position of target face-up monster your opponent controls. That monster's Battle Position cannot be changed until the end of the Battle Phase.

3: Blackmail  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate only during your Main Phase 2. Until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn: they must pay Life Points equal to the highest amount of Battle Damage dealt this turn as an additional cost to Summon, Set or activate the effects of each card they play. If this loss of Life Points would reduce your opponent's Life Points to 0: Ignore the cost for that action and the remainder of the current turn.

4: Demolition Run  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Until the End Phase of the turn this card is activated: Each time you inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the damage and select 1 card on your opponent's field: Destroy the selected card. This effect combines with other card effects that would activate when Battle Damage would be prevented: This card does not negate them.

5: The Maker's Eye  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Until the End Phase of the turn this card is activated: Each time you inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points: You can prevent the damage and draw 1 card. This effect combines with other card effects that would activate when Battle Damage would be prevented: This card does not negate them.

6: Retrieval Run  
>Type: Quick-Play<br>Effect: Activate when Battle Damage would be dealt to your opponent's Life Points. Prevent the damage and add 1 Human, Machine, Avatar or Program from your Graveyard to your hand. This effect combines with other card effects that would activate when Battle Damage would be prevented: This card does not negate them.

7: Desperado  
>Type: Continuous<br>Effect: When this card is activated: Destroy all other Continuous Spell Cards you control. Each time you prevent Battle Damage that would be dealt to your opponent's Life Points: Increase the ATK of all face-up monsters you control by 500 until the start of your next turn.

8: Doppelgänger  
>Type: Continuous<br>Effect: When this card is activated: Destroy all other Continuous Spell Cards you control. At the end of the Damage Step in which a non-token monster you control was destroyed by Battle and you were dealt Battle Damage: You can pay 400 Life Points X the destroyed monster's LVL: Special Summon a "Doppler" Token to your side of the field (DARK/LVL 1/ATK: ?/DEF: ?) where the ATK and DEF are equal to the ATK and DEF of the destroyed monster.

9: Spinal Modem  
>Type: Continuous<br>Effect: When this card is activated: Destroy all other Continuous Spell Cards you control. Whenever a monster you control would be targeted by a card effect: Negate and destroy the card. Each time you use this card's effect: Lose 500 Life Points after resolution. This loss of Life Points cannot be prevented or reduced in any way.

10: Early Bird  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Play only during your Main Phase 1. If you play this card: You cannot activate the effects of other Spell Cards until the end of the Battle Phase. Treat the first attack of this turn's Battle Phase as a direct attack. The monster that attacks this way can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.

11: Notoriety  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate during the End Phase of a turn in which you inflicted 2000 or more total points of Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. Choose one of the following effects:  
>-Inflict Damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the highest single amount of Battle Damage dealt this turn,<br>-Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard with original ATK and DEF equal to twice its original ATK and DEF, OR  
>-Force your opponent to discard all cards in their hand.<p>

SPEED SPELLS-  
>1: Angel Baton X 2 (Normal: Activate if you have 2 or more Speed Counters. Draw 2 cards, then discard 1 card.)<p>

2: Summon Speeder (Normal: Activate if you have 4 or more Speed Counters. Special Summon one LVL 4 or lower monster from your hand. That monster cannot attack this turn.

3: Overboost (Normal: Gain 6 Speed Counters. During your End Phase: Reduce your Speed Counter total to 1)

4: Wheelie Breaker (Normal: Remove 6 Speed Counters: Destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls)

5: Dash Pilfer (Normal: Activate when you have 4 or more Speed Counters. Take control of one face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls until the End Phase)

6: Cold Wave (Normal: Remove 2 Speed Counters to activate this card. Until your next turn: You and your opponent cannot Set or activate Spell or Trap Cards)

7: Double Summon X 2 (Normal: Activate when you have 2 or more Speed Counters. You can Normal Summon or Set one additional time this turn. You can only gain this effect once per turn)

8: Speed Force (Normal: Activate when you have 4 or more Speed Counters. Until the Standby Phase of your next turn: cards you control cannot be destroyed by effects of your opponent's Spell and Trap Cards)

TRAPS  
>1: Feint<br>Type: Normal  
>Effect: Activate when one of your face-up monsters would be attacked. Switch the ATK and DEF values of the attacking monster until the end of the Damage Step.<p>

2: Bribery  
>Type: Counter<br>Effect: Activate only when your opponent activates, plays, Sets or Summons the first card of their turn. Negate the activation, play, Set or Summon and destroy the targeted card unless your opponent pays half of their Life Points.

3: Three Steps Ahead  
>Type: Counter<br>Effect: Activate if a card effect would prevent an attack from target monster you control. Pay 400 Life Points times the LVL of the targeted monster: Negate the activation of the card and destroy it. If this card's effect resolves successfully: Your opponent loses Life Points equal to half the paid amount.

4: Leverage  
>Type: Continuous<br>Effect: You can activate this card's effect during the End Phase of a turn you inflicted Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. At the beginning of your opponent's next Battle Phase: They must pay Life Points equal to the highest amount of Battle Damage dealt last turn. If they cannot: Reduce the ATK of all monsters your opponent attacks with by the same amount during the Damage Step of each battle this turn.

5: Quest Completed  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate at the End Phase of a turn you inflicted 2000 or more total points of Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. Choose one of the following effects:  
>-Skip your opponent's next Battle Phase,<br>-Gain Life Points equal to half the total Battle Damage dealt this turn, OR  
>-Search your Deck for cards until you would hold 6 cards in hand. Add the selected cards to your hand. Shuffle your Deck afterwards.<p>

6: Inside Job  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate when you would be dealt Battle Damage from a Direct Attack. Reduce the Damage to 0. The next Direct Attack you make deals half Battle Damage.

7: Planned Assault  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: When you activate this card: select 1 monster in your hand. Pay 400 Life Points X the selected monster's LVL: Add the selected monster's ATK value to one other target face-up monster you control until the end of the Battle Phase.

8: Vamp  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate when you would gain Life Points: Reduce the gain to 0 and pay increments of 400 Life Points: Select a card on your opponent's field for each increment paid. Return all selected cards to their owner's hands.

9: Cyber Threat  
>Type: Counter<br>Effect: Activate when your opponent Summons a monster. Your opponent must pay 400 Life Points X the Summoned monster's LVL. If they cannot: Negate the Summoning and destroy the monster. If your opponent pays the required amount: You lose Life Points equal to half the paid amount.

10: Running Interference  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate at the beginning of the Damage Step when you would be dealt Battle Damage. Your opponent must pay Life Points equal to twice the Battle Damage that would be dealt. If they cannot: Prevent the Battle Damage you would be dealt. At the end of the Damage Step: If your opponent paid the amount: Lose Life Points equal to half the Battle Damage dealt.

11: Singularity  
>Type: Normal<br>Effect: Activate when you would take at least 2000 points of Battle Damage from a Direct Attack. Reduce the Damage to 0: Destroy X cards on your opponent's field, where X is every increment of 500 Life Points you would have lost from the attack. At the end of the Damage Step: Set your field and hand aside into a face-down pile and shuffle that pile. Your opponent randomly selects 3 cards from that pile: Banish all selected cards. After all selected cards have been banished this way; return all cards to their previous positions.

* * *

><p><strong>(Rubs frontal paws together in satisfaction) OK, that's a deck of 40 cards plus some Synchro monsters. Once again if you have ANY ideas about improving this deck for the story format I want to write on, please let me know! Oh, and here's a guest for you all to see my work!<strong>

I, Jack Atlas, 'Master of Faster' needs no introduction! My fans already know of my Dueling prowess!

**Anyway, now for the actual chapter! Onward!**

* * *

><p>The first thing I feel is someone shaking me, small hands digging into my back. A high-pitched voice reaches my ears, but my current headache blocks out the meaning of whatever is being said. My eyes slowly open as I breathe in deeply, only to hack out the polluted air now in my lungs as it leaves a rancid taste on my tongue. Then again, that taste could be from the concrete I'm lying face down on. I groan as I see an old brick wall extending on one side of what appears to be an alleyway. I see the other wall out of the corner of my vision; It looks pretty much the same as the first.<p>

The lack of lighting does not help out this initial view, forcing me to wonder where the heck I actually am. Broken graffiti on the walls and open trash cans swarming with flies gives me some clues. The outside areas are shrouded in shadows of other buildings or smog, evidence that pollution ran high here. What sunlight managed to pierce the smog left golden rays visible through the dust but offered no warmth; I rationalized that I had probably just woken up in a dusty area of...wherever this place was.

"Hey," the same voice comes in with better clarity. "Come on! Pull yourself together!"

I hiss out as I rise from my former prone position to all fours, my hands and knees pressed into the concrete below me. My throat suddenly feels parched as I wonder how long I had been here. Was it long enough to breathe in all this dust and cause irreversible lung damage? A pair of bright red and white shoes stands to my left, filled by a pair of pale legs with gray jeans. I look up to find the wearer of said shoes, my vision coming fully into focus to see a young boy with curly red hair, a red shirt underneath a blue overcoat and, strangely, a yellow beanie. The boy's gray eyes stare at mine with worry that soon turns to joy when he sees my cleared expression.

"Whew," he exclaims. "I thought you were a goner there!" I look at him strangely, taking in his happy face with the question as to how long I had been unconscious. On that note, I still hadn't answered my own question of where I was.

"So," the boy continues, "Can you tell me how you wound up face-down in an alleyway? I just found you like this and feared you were… Well…" My response is delayed as I filter this question through my mind. I frown as no response immediately comes to mind. Come to think of it, how HAD I gotten here? I didn't know where I was, how I got here…was I kidnapped here or something?

"Oh…" the boy mutters as he notices my silence, "You're not going to say? Well…" The boy looks at the ground with sadness as I stand upright. It's only then I notice my height compared to his; I seem at least a foot and a half taller than him. How old is this boy, anyway?

"Um…" the boy goes on while looking at either side of the alleyway, "This is Satellite. I think it used to be called Domino City, but that was a long time ago. Nowadays there's New Domino City, but that's where all the rich people live. All we have here are the workers. But hey, it's a job, right?" The boy laughs awkwardly at this statement, causing me to raise an eyebrow as I wonder who _else_ would live here. Considering the dust and run-down condition of the neighboring buildings, the possibility of gangs and/or thugs was high.

"So," the boy asks while turning back to face me and looking up, "What's your name?"

I try to get an answer out of my dry throat, only to not have my brain come up with anything to say. I frown at myself and try again only to fail again in the same way. It's then that I realize that I am forgetting an important aspect of my existence.

"I…" I say out loud, my voice a deep baritone, "I can't remember!" As soon as I say that, my eyes widen in surprise and fear, the irony of all this hitting me in the gut and giving me chills of terror.

"What?!" the boy shouts out, "Are you crazy?! How can you not remember your own name?! It's your name, you know!"

"I know that!" I shout back just as loud, "If I knew it, then I would have said it already!" The boy backs up in fear as I realize I probably look pretty intimidating right now.

"Sorry," I say quietly while rubbing my hair with my hands, "Didn't mean to shout there. I'm just as surprised as you are about this. I don't know who I am or how I got here, so I'm trying not to freak out and cause any trouble."

"Maybe you have amnesia." The boy ponders with a finger on his chin and a supposedly-deep thinking expression, "That's a toughie! I wonder how you can get your memories back." The boy stares at me with concern for a moment before locking onto my left arm for some reason.

"Hey," he says with sudden happiness and a pointing finger, "Is that a Duel Disk on your arm? I've never seen a design like that before!"

I look down and notice a device shaped like a circular computer disk attached to my lower left arm by several small metal clamps. The disk has a strong mix of dark red and blue, with splashes of green around the edges making it look like tribal paint. Five panels extend from it in a circular formation covering three quarters of the central disk. Each panel has an indented slot fit for a playing card and a lower slot for other potential cards. A red triangle shines on the blue surface of each panel, lines of green connecting each panel to the center disk like a motherboard to its outer servers. Strangely, no pain comes from the arm despite the fact I have probably worn this thing for hours and in an uncomfortable position. Also strange is the deck of brown cards with light-brown borders inside; considering I had probably scraped this disk or harmed it, the cards were unscathed. The only thing missing to make them seem fresh would be the classic "off-the-press" style smell.

"You even have a Deck! If you've got those," the boy spouts out as his glee grows, "then you must be a Duelist! Maybe a Duel will help you remember who you are! You do know how to play Duel Monsters, right?"

"Yeah, I know the basics. Besides," I mutter with a small grin as I flex the disk-wearing arm to ease tension in the limb, "I guess I don't have much else to lose since I don't remember anything about myself. Sure, I'll have a Duel with you. Best case scenario, it may actually help me with my memories."

The boy pumps a fist in the air and reaches into his pockets with a swift grab…except he pulls out nothing from both pockets. I look on as the boy fumbles around his coat and pants, his expression growing more distraught as he continues searching.

"Oh, darn it!" he finally shouts out in anger, "I don't have my Dueling Deck or Disk with me!" I merely execute a face-palm at the stupidity this boy has…actually, considering the clothing this kid has, is he really a girl and I can't tell the difference or am I over-thinking this?

"Just stay right there," the boy/girl says while quickly racing down the alleyway. "I'll be right back!"

Before I can respond, he/she turns a corner and vanishes into a mild cloud of smog. I huff and rock on my heels for a moment to ease away the awkwardness of the moment, but my eyes notice a reflection on a nearby puddle of water. Looking closer, I see the reflection is actually me looking back; the same Duel Disk on the same arm gives it away. My skin is pale and my eyes are a deep blue, almost like the bottom of the ocean. In contrast, my hair is a dark red similar to dim fire, and with green edges probably dyed on at some unknown time in my past. I seem to be wearing light blue jeans that actually aren't that tight, a gray overcoat with matching hood over a dark blue long-sleeved shirt.

Blue sneakers and matching white socks complete whatever image I was trying to accomplish. A glimmer on my chest brings my attention to a silver dog tag hanging around my neck. I bring said tag to my view to see the front carved with the image of a human skull with slanted fiery eyes inside a ghostly triangle. Flipping the tag over, several words are indented into the metal,

SUBJECT: D5  
>DESIGNATION: EPSILON<br>ALIAS: "Runner"

Slipping the tag under my shirt, I then look at the Disk still on my arm and pull the Deck of cards out. Fanning the cards in my hands, I note the strange imagery on the cards; the pictures seem rather futuristic or cyberpunk in style, mixing between digital creations, cyborgs and humans working in secrecy against some sort of mega-powerful company or faction. I also note the gimmick this Deck tries to run, something about manipulating the damage in a fight and creating effect combos in its place.

'_Whoever designed this deck,_' I think to myself, '_sure had a lot of time on their hands to make such intricate designs._'

I suddenly stop as a trio of white-colored cards slides out from the bottom of the Deck into view. These cards have images of strange digital constructs made up of smaller pieces, and was it my eyes playing tricks or were they glowing with different-colored auras? Whatever the reason, these cards seem quite important to the deck's overall objective. I set them in a jeans pocket for future use as some feeling comes to mind that these cards shouldn't be mixed with the main deck.

I stop further investigation as the sound of rapidly-approaching footsteps echoes down the alleyway. I look up and slip my Deck back into the Disk's Deck holder as the boy emerges back from the smog, this time holding a blue and white Duel Disk without much design on his left arm. The main difference between the two devices is that his Disk has the panels spread out in the front as one singular piece compared to my Disk's separate panels.

"Thanks a lot for waiting," the boy says as he stops a few feet from my current position and raises his disk horizontal while entering some kind of fighting stance. "I thought you had left already."

"Like I have anywhere else to go," I respond with a grin. "But before we begin, I'd like to know your name."

"Oh, right," the boy mutters as he sheepishly rubs the back of his beanie with his right hand. "My name's Rally. Let's get started!"

I adopt a similar stance to Rally's form as both Duel Disks randomly shuffle the allotted cards. Both of us quickly draw the top five cards from our decks and hold them in our right hands. Our Duel Disks suddenly blaze with multicolored light as the triangles on each panel light up with some kind of holographic energy.

"DUEL!" we both yell at once, Rally's shout more confident than mine.

**[DUEL BEGINS] [ROUND 1] [RALLY: 4000 LP/?: 4000 LP]**

"I'll take the first move," Rally calls out as he draws a sixth card to his current hand, "I summon Cannon Soldier in Attack Mode!"

Holographic energy whirls in front of Rally, forming into a human-sized purple, green and yellow robot with green claws for arms, a yellow stomach area and large yellow shoulder plates with green spikes jutting out. A massive cannon connects to its back by wiring and rests above its head, two glass panels showing the inner circuitry as well as its red viewing optics **(DARK, Machine, 1400 ATK, 1300 DEF, LVL 4)**. The cannon aims itself at me as the robot makes three quick _bleeps_, but I hold my position against the holographic automaton.

"Next," Rally continues, "I set one card face-down and end my turn!" An enlarged image of a Duel Monsters' card materializes beside Rally as he concludes his move, his smile leading me to suspect the powers of that Set card.

"My turn," I call out as I draw a sixth card. I look at my hand in concentration, trying to figure out how to make this deck work. I can't recall ever using this deck before, so I probably want to start simple.

"I'll start with a Continuous Spell Card," I continue as I slide the chosen card into a lower slot, "known as Spinal Modem!"

A digital silhouette of a human appears to my right, its body clear enough for Rally to easily see a large device of wires, fluids and circuitry attached to the base of its neck and running down the spinal cord.

"What does that do?" Rally calls out in surprise.

"You'll have to wait and see," I respond. "Next, I summon Rielle "Kit" Peddler in Attack Mode!"

Another silhouette appears to my left before bursting apart and revealing a human girl in a polished white lab coat with short purple hair, tanned skin and pink eyes floating in a lotus position slightly above the concrete. A pink circle can be seen on her forehead as her upper body shines with polished silicone plating. Her eyes stare slightly above Rally but are focused on something other than the current situation like in deep meditation **(DARK, Machine/Cyborg, 1800 ATK, 1500 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"Battle," I call out without fully knowing what I was saying. "Rielle attacks your Cannon Soldier! Transcended Termination!" The girl's eyes lock onto the robot across from her as her hands wave in circular motions. Energy gathers in her palms, becoming spheres of digital lightning as the robot's chassis seems to light up in preparation for an attack.

"Not so fast," Rally interrupts as his set card flips up to reveal a magical circle with runic inscriptions. "I activate the Spellbinding Circle Trap Card! This binds your monster in place, so it can't attack or switch its battle position!" The circle starts to appear around the girl and drain her energy, but a sudden burst of orange-colored lightning dissipates the spell.

"Spinal Modem's effect," I explain with a grimace of pain as a similar glow surrounds the silhouette. "By paying 500 Life Points, I can negate any of your card effects that would target a card I control and destroy the targeting card." **(?: 4000-3500 LP)**. Rally gasps in shock as his Trap Card shatters into pixels before vanishing from sight.

"Rielle!" I call out. "Continue your attack! Transcended Termination!" The same energy fills the girl's hands before she thrusts her palms forward and launches two spheres of electricity at the robot. The spheres impact silently with brutal force, tearing the outer chassis apart before detonating the core within.

Rally braces himself for the damage of such an explosion, but is confused to see the pieces of the robot hover in place by Rielle's energy.

"Rielle's effect," I explain as the pieces start to fuse together under her control. "Instead of dealing you Battle Damage, I can activate one of two special powers. One of these powers lets me Special Summon a Machine or Human-Type monster from my hand that's Level 4 or lower. So I Special Summon Grifter in Attack mode!" The fusing pieces come together to form a digital hole that seems to drain the holographic energies around itself **(LIGHT, Avatar, 1600 ATK, 800 DEF, LVL 3)**. "Since this is still the Battle Phase," I conclude with a confident grin, "I can now attack with my new monster! Grifter, attack Rally directly! Vacuum-Force Vortex!"

The hole seems to shift its motions, the air whirling towards it like a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust. Rally groaned in pain as a red aura surrounded his body before being drained into the anomaly **(Rally: 4000-2400 LP)**.

"Now for Grifter's effect," I continue as the hole suddenly glows blue and a similar-colored aura surrounds me, "Whenever it deals Battle Damage to my opponent's Life Points, I gain Life Points equal to the damage!" **(?: 3500-5100 LP)**.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn" I finish as a Set card appears to the left of the modem card.

**[ROUND 2] [RALLY: 2400 LP/?: 5100 LP]**

"Wow," Rally says in surprise. "I didn't realize your Deck was this good!" I am easily able to hear a tone of disappointment come with this statement; was Rally upset at this sudden change of events from his original plan?

"Well," I reply, "You had a good setup yourself with your Trap; it's just that I had the counter for it set up before your card could apply. Don't criticize yourself, alright?" Rally visibly brightens as he hears this.

"Thanks, man," he says before drawing a card for his turn. Looking at his hand of five cards, his brow furrows in concentration. I smile to myself as I wonder what plan he's got for me.

"I Summon X-Head Cannon in Attack Mode!" Rally slides the card onto his Disk and another machine appears on the field. This one has the bashing end of a large flail for a lower body, its upper body consisting of blue-and-yellow plating, two gray hands clenched into fists, red optics, and a large cannon over each shoulder. It seems to growl with its activation, itching for a battle **(LIGHT, Machine, ATK: 1800, DEF: 1500, LVL 4)**.

"Can't let you do that, Rally," I call out as my Set card flips face-up to reveal a covert-ops soldier looking into a display panel above a large crowd of citizens, "I activate the Cyber Threat Counter Trap card! Since you just Summoned a monster, this card can negate that card's Summoning and destroy it unless you pay 400 Life Points for each Level the monster has."

"That sounds too overpowered," Rally cries out in anger. "I'd lose most of my remaining Life Points! 1600, to be exact!"

"Well," I respond with a shrug, "there is a catch: I lose the same amount of Life Points you do if you successfully pay for your monster's summoning. So, what will it be?"

Rally looks between my trap card and his monster, now being held in place by digital cuffs to the ground. After several seconds, he lowers his head with anger clearly on his face.

"I'll pay the points," he mutters. A red aura glows around the both of us as our Life Points drop, the two of us stumbling slightly in pain as the chains vanish into shatter around X-Head Cannon's body. **(Rally: 2400-800 LP)** **(?: 5100-3500 LP)**.

"Now that I've got your traps out of the way," he says with renewed energy, "I activate the Continuous Spell Banner of Courage! This will give all my monsters 200 extra ATK during my Battle Phase!"

A large banner appears on Rally's field embedded into the ground, divided into two sections. The bottom half is white and shows a dark blue symbol similar to the Greek word Omega. The upper half is red and shows an orange teardrop breaking through a bright blue flame, a small white moon shining above. The banner flutters in a holographic wind, X-Head Cannon's optics flashing red as it powers up **(ATK: 1800-2000)**

"Battle! X-Head Cannon," Rally shouts with pointing finger, "Attack Grifter! Double Barrel Blast!" The two cannons start rumbling before firing beams of white plasma energy at my monster. The vortex consumes the energy but flashes black before it blasts into digital particles, making me stumble back slightly **(?: 3500-3100 LP)**.

Before Rally can voice his response, a _thrum_ of energy causes me to clutch my stomach in pain, a trail of coding being drained out of my body **(?: 3300-1500 LP)**.

"Hold on," Rally questions. "Why did you lose more points?"

"Because Grifter has a consequence," I say through clenched teeth. "If it is destroyed in battle, I lose Life Points equal to the original ATK of your monster."

"Wow! Guess I attacked the right monster!" Rally shouts in joy. "Now I'm back in this game!" He looks at his hand again before his smile starts to wilt.

"Unfortunately," he explains, "That's all I can do right now. Your turn." X-Head Cannon's power fades away as he says this **(ATK: 2000-1800)**.

"Then I draw," I begin as I look at my hand of four cards, "And I tribute Rielle to summon Sneakdoor Beta in Attack mode!" The vortex vanishes into digital pixels before turning into another human silhouette and a large white door **(DARK, Program, ATK: 1900/DEF: 2100, LVL 6)**. Rally gulps as he sees my monster is stronger than his.

"Sneakdoor Beta's effect," I confidently shout. "By reducing any Battle Damage it inflicts in half, it can bypass your monsters and attack you directly!" Rally gasps in shock as another white door appears in front of him, both doors now opening like portals to each other.

"Sneakdoor Beta attacks you and ends this Duel," I finish with clenched fist as my emotions ran high with this attack. "Unseen Uppercut!" The digital human leaps into the nearest door, appearing out of the other door a millisecond later and decking Rally with a solid punch to the chin **(Rally: 800-0 LP) [DUEL ENDS].**

"You alright there?" I ask as my Disk deactivates and I quickly walk over to Rally's prone body with outstretched hand. The boy slowly gets up, and I am surprised to see a smile on his face despite the loss of the Duel.

"Wow," he shouts out. "That was an amazing Duel! Your deck seems really strong, being able to counter almost everything I played out."

"Well," I respond while pulling Rally up, "that was probably the luck of the draw talking. I guess I just had that good an initial hand."

"Anyway," Rally says with expectant eyes, "Do you remember anything about yourself?"

As if on a cue, my head suddenly bursts with pain similar to a migraine, making me cry out as unbidden images flash through my mind…

* * *

><p><em>...Five symbols float in darkness, each one a logo of a greater power. Before I can react, four symbols retreat beyond my sight, the final symbol revealing itself to be like the one on my dog tag. The symbol grows in size to match my height, the skull within suddenly shifting as if it had become a real face. Before I can blink in confusion, the symbol vanishes and is replaced with the form of a man: his white face and gloves mix with his gray hair and suit to create the image of wealth and prestige.<em>

"Netrunner Samuel,_" he then speaks with an almost-human male voice. "_You have begun your destined journey. There will be obstacles in your path to your memories; you must break past them to achieve greatness. Face more opponents, become stronger, whether you win or lose, and learn your purpose._"_

_The man then seems to be sucked away as white fills my vision…_

* * *

><p>…I gasp as I return to reality. Placing a hand on my chest, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself, noticing sweat running down my face from exertion. The headache is gone as mysteriously as it appeared.<p>

"Hey," Rally says with concern. "You alright? You were out of it for a few seconds."

"Samuel…" I mutter to myself, causing Rally to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "That's my name," I explain with growing happiness. "Samuel."

"Samuel, huh? That's a cool name!" Rally says with a grin. "Hey, do you want to stay with me and my friends? Our home isn't too far from here."

"I don't want to be any more trouble…" I begin.

"My friends won't mind," Rally cuts in whilst grabbing my arm and pulling me down the alleyway, "really! They might even want to Duel against your Deck, and that'll help you remember more about yourself!"

"Alright then," I conclude with a sincere smile. "Thank you for this kindness." Rally just beams as he leads me to his supposed home. A fluttering in my chest told me that the upcoming events wouldn't be easy…

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the first chapter! Again, any problems, please let me know. Any improvements to the Deck andor story are appreciated as well.**

**Draconos is taking off!**


	2. C2: The Wary Guard! Rage of the Shard!

**Hello once more! Here's the next chapter for my Stardust Accelerator Story! Granted, this one is a bit shorter than the last (SORRY!), but I hope it keeps you all interested.**

**Speaking of interest, there have been quite a few positive comments of this work, mostly coming from Guest readers. I am actually surprised that so many people are taking a liking to this so quickly!**

That's because I'M in it! I'm talking with you and lending my great dueling presence to this story. My fans adore me no matter where I appear!

**Quiet, Jack! I don't think it's JUST your presence with me, but it could be a factor. Anyway, thanks for the positive comments and favorites so far. I hope to keep this story entertaining in the future. There are so many of these reviews (both Guests and members alike), in fact, that I think I need to start an Answering section to specific questions. Let's try it now!**

_-Infernal Hunter: About Arcadia and Nexus, let's not jump to conclusions! I appreciate your interest in this story going beyond the Stardust Accelerator story-line, but I want to focus on this one for now. I'll probably have to do some additional research into the other games before I dabble in them. Stay tuned (wink)!_

_-Agorok, Rush, Gretsky: Well, I may have to accept the demands of the people concerning the POTENTIAL Aki/O.C. romance. I mean, I understand the Aki/Yusei pairing is common so a change in pace is new and exciting. Akiza probably won't be in the story for several chapters yet, though. Again, stay tuned (other wink)!_

**(Clears throat) Now then, Jack will do the usual disclaimer, and then we'll get started. Jack, if you please?**

All right, fine. The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC and duel deck.

**Onward to the Chapter! **

* * *

><p>Walking down an abandoned street would give anyone the chills, and I am no exception; the rubble-filled paths of Satellite make the place look like a warzone or nuclear impact zone. Rally seems more at calm with it than I, probably because he's lived in it for a long time. We pass a wrecked cargo truck long-since cleared of contents in relative silence, Rally humming some catchy tune while I observe my surroundings with a casual eye. It all looks the same, really—buildings either crumbled or slanted, rubble filling the streets and cracked roads. The rare vehicle we saw were usually missing a tire or two or just plain ripped in half by falling debris. Any stores with electrical signs were eerily flashing at seemingly random intervals, a few sparks flying to the ground and threatening to ignite the pavement. The sounds of our footsteps echo across the paths, seemingly like there are more people around us when it's really just a trick of the mind.<p>

Suddenly, Rally stops in bemused puzzlement before realization dawns in his eyes. I look down in confusion before his expression turns to a false happiness.

"Um, I'm gonna have to go for a moment," he says. "I forgot there was some parts I needed to purchase for my friends."

"How much further is it to your home?" I ask as I grab Rally's shirt to prevent him from running off. He squirms slightly under my grip before relaxing.

"Not that far," he says while pointing down an alleyway filled with garbage bags leading to another ruined street. "You just need to take this alleyway, turn left and walk two more blocks. Then, you'll see an old subway entrance—that's where my friends are. Knowing them, there's someone probably standing guard: Just tell them Rally Dawson sent you, and you'll be fine. Now, I really need to go. I'll see you soon!"

Rally jerks out of my grip and dashes down the street before I can stop him, my hand outstretched but grabbing only air. I blink in confusion for several seconds: Why had Rally been so blunt with his departure? He trusted me, didn't he? I mean, we Dueled and everything, and wasn't Dueling supposed to bring out the real feelings of a person?

Wait, where had _that_ line come from? I scratch my head in confusion before letting the problem go, turning down the alleyway Rally had indicated while holding my breath at the overwhelming smell of garbage. A tabby cat with tarnished fur looks up from its meal at my passing, giving me a cold stare with its yellow eyes before washing its paws clean of garbage. I raise an eyebrow at this greeting but pay it no special notice; this "Satellite" seemed like the slums of a major city, the only difference being that, from what Rally had said on our walk, it was separated from the main city or something like that.

Since I couldn't remember anything about how I had grown up, I had to take this information at face value whether I liked it or not. I sigh lightly as I jump over a small pile of bags—was Rally's lifelike this all the time? He had said that this place had the "workers"; did he mean manual labor for the higher-ups, or some other type of grunt job the rich folk didn't want to dirty their hands with?

As I emerge from the alleyway I breathe in fresh air, but cough slightly as the aroma of garbage reeks itself onto my shoes. That would take some time to air out, but I suppose I could use it to properly blend into this society. After all, who would suspect another garbage-smelling young man such as me walking down the streets alone?

That sounded a _lot_ better in my head, now that I thought about it. I gulp as I continue down the street, noticing disabled traffic lights as markers for how far I had traveled.

Then, I saw it; about ten feet wide and three feet high on the surface, its roof crooked and cracking like it would fall apart given the right push. The subway entrance blended pretty well into the surrounding area; then again, it had similar structural damage to everything else, so there wasn't really anything I could see to draw it out. As I walk towards the entrance, my eyes catch a man standing guard, just like Rally had said. His brown eyes look blankly at the rubble around him, his green bandanna, white shirt and brown pants giving him a simplistic air. He quickly notices my approach and shifts to block the entrance from me.

"Hey, what are you doing here," he asks. "This is a private area!"

"I'm sorry," I respond as casually as I could. "I was told to come here by a friend of mine. He said you wouldn't mind the company."

"The only 'company' allowed here are my friends, not yours," the man rebuts with a glare. "And last I checked you aren't a friend. Now, beat it!"

"But Rally Dawson sent me here," I say in growing desperation. "He told me the path here and everything. Isn't he your friend?"

"I don't believe you," the man angrily shouts at me. "You don't have any proof that you met Rally, and you could have learned his name from some con artist or something. Now, get out of here before I make you leave!" He then raises his fists in a fighting stance, my eyes catching a Duel Disk just like Rally's on his left arm. We glare at each other for a few tense seconds before I raise my hands in apology.

"Alright," I say despite the growing sob in my throat. "I'll leave. I'm sorry for troubling you." I turn away and begin walking back down the street, anger rising in my chest as I questioned whether Rally had lied to me or the man was just being forceful.

"Wait," I hear the man yell. "Hold on a second! Is that a Duel Disk on your arm?"

I turn to him before looking at my Disk and then back. "Yeah? So?"

The man smirks as he readies his own Disk. "It's been kind of boring standing guard here. Tell you what; I'll cut you a deal. If you can defeat me in a Duel, then I'll believe what you said about meeting Rally. If I win, you leave here and never come back. Those good terms for you?"

I blink in surprise at the man's sudden change of tone before grinning, myself. "You're on!"

I ready my Duel Disk and stand a few feet from the man, adopting the same stance from my Duel with Rally as we draw our initial hand.

"DUEL!"

**[DUEL BEGINS] [ROUND 1] [?: 4000 LP/Samuel: 4000 LP]**

"The first move is mine," I call out instinctively as I draw a sixth card. "I Set a monster face-down, and then Set two cards facedown as well. That's all for now." I keep a calm face as there cards appear on my field, one sideways and the others vertical.

"Playing defensively, are we?" The man's eyes narrow in eagerness as he draws a sixth card. "All the better for me when I win. I summon Alligator's Sword in Attack Mode!"

A green alligator with a white underbelly clad in spiked armor of red and black design leaps from digital space onto the field with a forward roll, clutching a curved sword in its right hand with a predatory grin and a hiss of its vocal cords **(EARTH, Beast, ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200, LVL 4)**. It stands up with a forward stance, sword held high and pointed towards me, cold blue eyes piercing mine without fear.

"Hold up," I shout with a grin of my own to counter the digital reptile's. "I activate the Counter Trap Bribery!" The card flips face-up, showing an android looking through a large pile of money with a satisfactory smile on its face. My opponent's face turns to anger, while the reptile is just confused.

"Here's how this card works," I explain. "Since Alligator's Sword is the first card you are using this turn, this Trap can negate that card's Summoning and destroy it. However, you can keep it alive by paying half of your Life Points."

"What?!" the man shouts in fury. "That's way too overpowered! How do you expect me to pay such a high cost?!"

"It only works on the first card that you are using this turn," I respond with a flourishing wave of my hand. "You could have activated a Spell or Set something instead in order to possibly trick this card's usage away from your big play. But now, will you pay the price to keep Alligator's Sword alive?"

The man looks at his hand for several seconds, trying to form a strategy at the cost of half his Life Points. After a bit, he nods firmly to me, gritting his teeth as a yellow aura glows around him **(?: 4000-2000 LP)**. Alligator's Sword growls in anger at seeing its Summoner harmed.

"Alright," I hear him mutter. "Now I can continue. I equip my Alligator's Sword with the Axe of Despair Equip Spell Card! My monster's ATK goes up by 1000 points!"

The reptile's curved sword turns white before shifting into a larger axe, wooden handle gnarled with age but the blade looking quite fresh. The beast roars with delight as its power grows **(ATK: 1500-2500)**.

"Battle!" the man announces. "Alligator's Sword attacks your Set Monster! Dark Slice!" The reptile obeys instantly, charging across the field with a wild howl before arcing its axe down into my Set card. The image of a digital keyhole appears for a brief moment before shattering under superior force **(DEF: 2100)**. I step back slightly, thankful my Life Points weren't damaged in that attack.

"I'll Set one card face-down," the man calls out as Alligator's Sword returns to his side, "and end my turn."

**[ROUND 2] [?: 2000 LP/Samuel: 4000 LP]**

"I draw," I shout while adding a fourth card to my hand, "and I summon Grifter in Attack Mode!" The blue-colored vortex appears with a whirl of energy like before **(ATK: 1600)**.

"Next," I continue, "I activate the Spell Card StimHack!" The card activates, revealing the image of a man plugged into several machines injecting drugs into his body while he accesses a central computer screen.

"With this card," I explain, "All monsters currently on my field gain 1000 ATK points until the End Phase!" The Grifter on my field expands to twice its original size as several digital wires inject into it **(ATK: 1600-2600)**

"Battle! Grifter attacks Alligator's Sword! Vacuum-Force Vortex!" The vortex instantly begins to draw the monster into itself, but it is repelled by another vortex of purple energy.

"I use my Negate Attack Trap Card," my opponent calls out. "This stops the current attack and ends the Battle Phase, so you can't attack again this turn!"

The man smirks at his play, but quickly drops his expression when he sees my second Set card flip face-up to show the image of a woman racing down a hallway while data flows into a visor over one of her eyes.

"I use the Counter Trap Three Steps Ahead! This negates any card that prevents my monsters from attacking, as long as I pay 400 Life Points per Level of the affected monster. And since Negate Attack does target a monster on the current attack, this works just fine!"

I hiss in pain as a red aura glows around me, the purple vortex breaking apart into pixels. Grifter seems to roar in triumph as its path becomes clear again **(Samuel: 4000-2400 LP)**.

"Grifter," I declare with a forceful punch. "Continue your attack! Vacuum-Force Attraction!" The program obliges, drawing the reptile warrior into itself and completely vaporizing it **(?: 2000-1900 LP)**. A blue aura then surrounds me as Grifter's effect activates **(2400-2500 LP)**.

"Now," I continue, since I dealt Battle Damage, I use the effect of the Bug Program from my hand. Since I dealt Battle Damage to you this turn, I can Special Summon it!"

A digital insect several times larger than a normal bug appears shines briefly from my hand before I place the card onto my Duel Disk. The same image then appears on my field as the program is Summoned **(LIGHT, Program/Tuner, ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000, LVL 3)**.

"Your Stimhack card won't work on him, remember," the man keenly points out. "So you won't defeat me this turn!"

"That doesn't matter. Bug, attack him directly! Pinpoint Proboscis!" The insect charges through the air towards my opponent, stopping only inches from him before stabbing his Duel Disk with its proboscis, causing digital sparks to fly from the machine **(?: 1900-600 LP)**.

"Clever move," the man says as he recovers from the attack, "but I'm still standing."

"Not for long," I say with a dark grin, "because I'll defeat you this turn without attacking!"

"You're bluffing! You've already done your attacks!"

"There's no need to attack in order to finish you off this turn. I use the effect of the Pipeline Program from my hand! When I inflict Battle Damage to my opponent, I can discard this card and change the Level of one monster I control by 1 star! I choose the Bug Program!"

"Why would you do that?" The man raises an eyebrow as I notice a thin sweat line appearing underneath his bandanna **(Bug: LVL 3-4)**.

"Did I mention that Bug is also a Tuner Monster?" The man blanches as he hears this, my smile only growing at seeing his fear.

"Y-you're going to Synchro Summon?!" The man is terrified now. "But how will that help after you've attacked?"

"Watch and learn," I reply before raising my right hand upward. "I tune the Level 4 Bug Program and the Level 4 Grifter Program!"

The sky turns black-and-red as the two programs fly skyward. Bug splits apart before turning into four rings of green light, each ring surrounding Grifter as it turns into four stars of white energy. As the process takes place, a chant I had never said before emerges from my lips, sounding like it was coming from another person as I felt power rise within me…

"_Fuueru, saiba supeesu no subte! Tome rare nai ikari no furagumento ga tanjou! Shinkuro Shokan! Gouon, meiou haadesu no haden!_"

With a guttural roar, a beam of green energy fills the rings and stars as a blinding flash fills the field. When it clears, a massive crystalline construct floats down from a thunderous sky of black clouds and red lightning. The construct has no definite appearance other than its own black-and-red coloring, its form shifting constantly as the crystal pieces within pulse like organic veins pumping blood. The ground below it starts to buckle and shake as its very presence causes the field to warp slightly. A second roar, this one like a lion challenging a foe, resounds in our ears as the shard notices my opponent's trembling form **(DARK, Program/Synchro, ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500, LVL 8)**.

"Hades Shard's effect," I shout above my monster's call. "If it is Synchro Summoned on a turn I inflicted Battle Damage to you, it deals you the highest amount of damage again!"

"WHAT?!" The man steps back in surprise, "No way! That's crazy! How is something like that so powerful?!"

"This is the power of unstoppable anger!" My fists are clenched as a burning in my chest echoes the burning anger from my monster. "Hades Shard," I call out with a solid punch at my foe. "End this Duel! Hellborn Shardstorm!"

The shard growls like a tiger before its prey as its many pieces split apart and spin into a whirling tempest of red crystal. My opponent freezes in place as he is shrouded from view by the storm, a scream from within telling me the attack made its mark. Seconds later, the storm dissipates and reforms into the Shard, a final roar of triumph similar to a dinosaur above its kill revealing its success **(?: 600-0 LP) [DUEL ENDS]**.

**{AUTHOR'S NOTE: Heyo! Just a quick thing: I realize that the Duels so far have been short in length, and I apologize for that. The anime shows Duels lasting for several turns and action-packed throughout. Then again, that's probably because of the writer's desire to extend duels for several minutes, and additional dialogue thrown in from the audience...**

**Whatever the case, if you find the length of the Duels to be too short, let me know with a suggestion as how to make them longer and better. I would greatly appreciate it! Now, onward with the story!}**

The man falls to one knee as the holographic field dissipates. I walk over to him in concern, but he stands upright with effort before I get near him. I hold my ground, wondering whether he doesn't want to show weakness in front of me or if this is his pride showing itself.

"Quite the impressive set of cards you got there," he comments with a genuine smile. "OK, I'll believe what you said about Rally."

At that moment, as if to mock us, fate chooses to show Rally running up to the subway entrance, a small bag in his hands.

"Hey Blitz," he shouts as he approaches. "I got something good for Yusei's Duel Runner! Oh," he says while turning towards me. "Hey Samuel! I see you found the place alright!"

"You know him, Rally?" Blitz questions Rally while pointing at me. Rally nods happily in response, causing Nervin to sheepishly look back at me in silent apology for his earlier anger.

"It's okay, Rally," I cut in while looking at Blitz. "Blitz here didn't believe I was a friend of yours at first. So we had a friendly Duel to affirm my trust towards you, and now we understand each other."

"You Dueled against him?" Rally's eyes grow wide as he stares at Blitz. "Why didn't you believe him? I had a Duel with him and everything!"

"I'm sorry, Rally," Blitz replies with an apologetic tone, "but you know how it is here: I can't just let anyone into our home. He could have been from a gang, or even Sector Security in disguise!"

"Hey," I interrupt with raised hands. "Let's just drop it, alright? We know who we all are now, so it's alright. Can I come inside now?"

"Wait," Rally almost shouts in excitement. "You had a Duel, right? Did you get any more memories of yourself?"

Blitz raises an eyebrow as I rub my head in concentration. This time, there's no surge of pain or flicker of memory, which saddens me slightly; was this type of thing going to be random, or in separate intervals?

"Nothing this time, Rally," I respond after a few seconds, causing the boy to mope.

"So you have amnesia?" This comes from Blitz, who isn't in the loop with my memory loss. I only nod in reply, feeling like that question would become something asked far too often for my taste.

"Well then," he says with an outstretched hand, "Allow me to apologize again for my earlier actions. Let's put this behind us." I shake his hand firmly with a smile before the three of us head into the subway entrance, the sun setting between the ruined buildings around us…

* * *

><p><strong>Alright! That's the second duel, and Samuel meets up with Nervin. Plus, we get to see a Synchro Monster from Samuel's deck! How's that for you, Jack?<strong>

...Acceptable.

**Oh, come on! Give me a break here! I even put in a Synchro chant and everything!**

...(Looks away in distaste)

**Gaah! Fine! Be that way! For the rest of you, thanks for reading. Please rate, review and enjoy, as well as list any comments, criticisms or ideas you may have. Oh, and that Romanji ride chant will be translated at the bottom of the page. And if the Romanji is incorrect, PLEASE let me know so I can translate it correctly (makes pleading expression before clears throat).**

**Draconos is taking off!**

_SYNCHRO CHANT (ENGLISH)_: "Tremble, all of cyberspace! A fragment of unstoppable rage is born! Synchro Summon! Roar, Hades Shard!"


	3. C3: Mystery! Speed! The Network! Oh My!

**We're back! Good to see you all once again! **

**Before I get TOO deep into this chapter, though, a word of warning: The coming updates will not be as frequent as the chapters before. Reason? WORK! That's right, you can't deny the power of work and the limitations it puts on my time to write!**

I wasn't wondering about that. Now, anything else you have to say?

**Always to the point, eh Jack? Fine...There's no dictated duel in this chapter.**

WHAT?! (Shocked gasps from assembled audience) How can you NOT have a duel-per-chapter in a Duel Monsters fanfiction?!

**I know it sounds terrible, but hear me out-this chapter is focused more on plot advancement than actual dueling. Granted, there is the mentioning of two duels, but I have chosen to skip them. If you dislike this action, let me know with a REASONABLE statement explaining your negative feelings.**

Now, let's get answering some comments from reviewers!

_Rush (Guest): Thanks for the advice on balancing! I understand the "Give and Take" policy you are suggesting, and I've been trying to do that with the designs of the cards. For the emotional feelings on paying Life Points: I'll start implementing that with the next Duel. Also, glad you appreciate the potential Aki/O.C. pairing._

_Unidentified Guest: Many thanks for spotting the GLARING error I had earlier about switching Blitz and Nervin's names around. Funny how that happened in the official game, too! _

_Unidentified Guest: Concerning the possibility of stretching this story out across the 5D's series, I may NOT have to create new characters for each game. As long as I can tie the plot lines together, I can use the same character throughout the entire story, even if the games make you create different characters each time. We'll see how that turns out when we get there, though._

**Well, that's the big questions summed up. Master of Faster, please state the Disclaimer!**

(sighs) The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC and duel deck. Can you get started, please: I have some autographs to sign in ten minutes!

**Onward to the Chapter!**

* * *

><p>The <em>whirr<em> of an electrical generator is the first sound to reach my ears below the subway station entrance; the first thing I see is a large computer currently turned off and several smaller electrical lamps beside an abandoned subway tunnel. The station area has a small TV, a large yellow couch with torn edges and a large section partitioned by old curtains. Each step I take down the stairs is with bated breath; Rally had said the name "Yusei" and I hadn't met him/her yet, so who else could be down here? Would they be friendly? Granted, Blitz was friendly now, but he had been defensive at first sight and quite wary of any strangers like I had been. How would whoever else lived here treat strangers? I really didn't want my first encounter with the rest of Rally's "friends" to be negative, but how should I react to make sure I was on their positive side?

Wait. Why was I thinking so much about this? I should just go with the flow and let whatever happens happen, right? No need to overthink this and screw up at the worst possible—

"Hey, Tank," Rally yells as soon as he reaches the bottom, catching me off guard and making me stumble. "Nervin! We're back!" I am just able to land on my back on the stairs, the jarring sensation bringing pain up and down my body and making me grunt loudly. Blitz quickly helps me to my feet, my vision slightly blurred from the rush of blood. However, I am still able to see two men about Blitz's age walk into the lamplight. One had short brown hair and a slightly overweight body covered by a brown vest and black pants; the other had curled black hair, round-rimmed glasses and a much thinner body under a white suit-coat, green plaid shirt and black pants. Side-by-side, the two seemed almost opposites of each other physically, but I kept my analysis to a minimum until I knew more about them.

"Hey, Rally, Blitz," the thinner man says, his voice a little nasal-filled as he speaks. "Find anything good among the scrap this time?"

"For sure," Rally responds brightly as the three of us approach the lamp's illumination. "but I also found a new friend! He won't be any trouble, I swear; Blitz is good with him, too!" Blitz looks away from the boy as Rally draws attention to him, leading me to hold back a chuckle of amusement.

"Well," the pudgier man asks in what sounds like polite interest, "Can your 'friend' come where we can see him? Or is he too shy?"

I take that moment to step fully into their view, giving a quick bow of greeting as I stood before them.

"My name is Samuel," I say with a friendly smile against the underground darkness. "Rally and I met a short while ago not far from here. He's decided to help me with a…condition of mine after he found me unconscious in an alleyway. Blitz and I met just a few minutes ago, but we've grown on each other in that time. It's nice to meet you both."

The two stare at me like I had grown two additional heads; I didn't blame them, as I felt really stupid for greeting them so bluntly. This was what I got for overthinking their reactions!

"So…" the brown-haired man asks after several seconds of very awkward silence. "What's this 'condition' of yours?"

"He's got amnesia," Blitz states with narrowed eyes. "Rally found him, they Dueled, and Rally sent him here. Then he met me, we Dueled and I trusted him enough to let him in."

I shoot a glare at Blitz—did he have to say it like that? It was simple, yes, and it got the message across, but it was also quite embarrassing for me. I could probably have stated that better, given some time. Blitz quickly notices my anger and only shrugs his shoulders with a smirk.

"Hey, calm down," he says calmly. "You would have only beaten around the bush and made it more awkward overall. Better to just say it outright and get it over with, right?"

"Not when the issue is so personal." I gnash my teeth in anger and rub a hand through my hair in exasperation with this statement.

"Amnesia, huh?" This comes from the thinner man as he rubs his chin in deep thought. "Well, if Blitz let you in, then it's alright. Now, there's usually a way to get your memories back if you lose them. The hard part is finding that way; some people never do find it, or think it as too stressful or painful to undertake -"

"Oh, we've found the way," Rally interrupts. "It's through Dueling! I Dueled Samuel and he remembered his name afterwards!"

"Hold on, Rally," Blitz says while placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I also Dueled him but no flashbacks or sparks of memory occurred for Samuel—he said so himself, remember?"

"It's the closest thing we've got to a solution right now! We can't just forget it after it doesn't work one time!"

"Hey, calm down, you two," the thinner man says suddenly. "I hear something from the tunnels."

We all fall silent as the rumbling of some kind of vehicle can be heard echoing down into the station. It sounds high-pitched, so that ruled out the possibility of a car or train unless it was small enough to comfortably move through the passage. The closest other possibility that came to my mind would be a motorcycle, but I couldn't see down the dark tunnel to confirm this.

"It's Yusei," Rally shouts with glee. "He's back! Good timing, too!"

'_So this is the Yusei I've heard so much about,_' I think to myself with a smirk. '_Wonder how he's like?_'

I get my answer very quickly as a pair of headlights gleam down the tunnel. Seconds later a large motorcycle emerges into the station and quickly slows to a stop, steam rising from several vents along the lower body and between the wheels. The body is curved with a red-and-white design, streamlined in appearance but not striking in its presence. My mind somehow notices several nuts and bolts along the frame, indicating the chassis was pieced together from several spare parts or modified from remains of other vehicles. The upper frame almost curves completely around the driver, ending in a fishhook prong a few feet above an electronically-connected standard Duel Disk of the Battle City era. How I knew _that_ confused me for a moment before I naturally abandoned the thought.

It's the man within that draws my attention the most, the one apparently called 'Yusei'. Seated within the frame, he wears a long-sleeved blue jacket with amber gems in its collar over a black shirt with some strange red symbol, black jeans with amber knee pads and, for some reason, calf-high motorcycle boots. A pair of brown gloves that extend above his wrist cover his hands, and a black belt can be seen with two holsters, most likely for dueling decks. I quickly see muscles hidden beneath the jacket, suggesting he has had lots of exercise, combat experience or a mix of the two. Considering what I've seen for living conditions in Satellite, either one would probably work.

As he takes off his red riding helmet, the upper part of his hair juts upward while the lower part moves downward. The hair itself is black but with gold highlights on the tips, similar to my own red hair with green highlights. His skin is tanned, and his face is firm as he steps off his vehicle. As he crosses over, the two of us inadvertently lock eyes; I notice his eyes are a royal blue, almost shimmering with knowledge. In contrast to my own ocean-blue, I thought his were, in fact, superior.

But I don't get much more of a chance to think as my head surges with a familiar pain…

* * *

><p>…<em>I see a motorbike of custom design racing along the alleyways of the Satellite. The vehicle is moving too quickly for me to get a solid glance, but it seems incredibly futuristic, almost like it is from centuries ahead from now. Behind it, three motorbikes with flashing police lights follow in hot pursuit, their sirens echoing down the ruined streets. The officers wear gray uniforms and have blue-and-white helmets covering their faces; the unknown rider is moving too fast for me to accurately analyze. A few monsters fly with the police vehicles, my inner mind telling me that some kind of Duel is going on.<em>

"It's over, fugitive,_" I hear one officer yell out to the rider. "_You're outmatched and outnumbered. Pull your D-Wheel over and surrender or we will use force to stop you!_"_

"Stop me?_" The rider laughs wildly as he accelerates his vehicle further. "_You are quite mistaken for thinking you can do such a thing. HE tried to stop me and failed, so what makes you think you can? The answer: you can't! Nothing stops the Netrunner!_"_

_I gasp in surprise; Why was this person using my alias name? Then again, how did I know it was mine to begin with? All I had found was that name on a dog tag around my neck, which could have been placed by anyone. Was this person the original 'Netrunner', or someone copying me? Before I could answer these questions to myself, the rider draws a card from his Dueling Deck and activates it. The image depicts someone on a motorbike crashing through a field of monsters while doing a wheelie maneuver._

"And this card,_" the rider continues, "_will put you in your place! Speed Spell, activate! Wheelie Breaker!_"_

_The rider swerves around sharply and raises the front end of his vehicle, the wheel spinning menacingly as the officers shout in surprise…_

* * *

><p>…I return to reality with a gasp, almost falling over as my senses rush from an unknown emotion. Blitz is quick to grab me before I hit the ground, the other two racing over as Rally pauses whatever he was saying in surprise. After a few seconds of consoling, I am able to stand on my own two feet again.<p>

"You alright, Samuel?" the larger man—_Tank_, I realize quickly—questions, to which I nod and lightly smile, a growing throb in my head not allowing me to do much else.

"Well," the thinner man—_Nervin_—comments with a raised eyebrow. "You gave us quite a scare for the few seconds you were out of it. But if you're really feeling better…"

"I'm fine, Nervin," I reply bluntly before turning to Yusei, who apparently didn't break eye contact the entire time.

"So," Rally then butts in once again. "Yusei, we've figured out that Samuel can't remember who he is, and he can only remember it through Dueling. So if the two of you Dueled, seeing how you are both really good, then we can really help him out! What do you say?"

Yusei looks at Rally for a moment before returning to me, a chill running down my spine as I see his gaze judging me with every move I make. It looks like Yusei was the leader of this group and called most of the shots. Would he accept a stranger like myself into the fold, or shove me back out on the street, despite his friend's protests?

"I'm gonna go for another ride," he finally says, his voice somehow calming me down with its peaceful tone. "There was one section of the tunnel I messed up on that I shouldn't have. Samuel is welcome to stay for as long as he needs in the meantime."

A smile beams across my face as I bow deeply to Yusei in gratitude. He only nods back before slipping his helmet on and returning to his ride. A few seconds later, the engine starts with a hydraulic _whirr_ and he speeds down the tunnel, vanishing from sight.

"Well," Tank soon says while slapping me strongly on the back. "Looks like Yusei trusts you enough to stick around. Now I get to Duel you and help with your memories!"

"Hey, no fair," Nervin cuts in with a peeved expression. "I wanted to Duel him first!"

"Calm down, both of you," I say before a fight starts over me. "You both will have the chance to Duel me, but since Tank asked first, I'll face him first. Are we good?"

Nervin harrumphs slightly but nods firmly to agree, Tank rubbing his hands together in what I believe to be anticipation. Blitz just shakes his head while Rally cheers the both of us on.

A short while later, everyone minus Yusei and I sit around a small TV screen several years old showing a broadcast duel between two celebrities named Hunter Pace and Jack Atlas. Yusei was still out "riding", or so I believed. Blitz had announced the duel shortly after I had dueled Tank and Nervin; they had immediately sat down with Rally when they heard. I had won both duels against them, but they had different styles of Decks to face against. Tank's Deck seemed…well, like an offensive tank, focusing on dealing me damage outside of combat while getting low-cost monsters for defense. To contrast, Nervin's Deck was a highly-defensive one that tried to hit me through baited attacks to his monster's stronger stats. Each of them took a bit of planning to get around, but I was able to win each match quickly once my Deck had gained enough steam for its effects.

With the broadcast, I stayed around only to see the initial plays and left afterwards, but the others were hooked on the Duel, watching closely as if analyzing each move the Duelists made. It looked like they knew at least one of these people, but I didn't want to trouble them and ask; I didn't know those people Dueling, and my inner gut told me that accepting someone's opinion of a person isn't a good way to judge that person when you hadn't met them yourself. One surprising thing was the amount of anger that filtered through them as they watched; I heard several mutterings over the MC's commentary of the Duel, Rally once again doing most of the talking as the others watched in silence.

I shrug to myself; If their relationship with those Duelists was serious, then I would probably know at some point, anyway. Removing the issue from my mind, I sit down by the station wall with a sigh, draw my knees to my chest and place my still-attached Duel Disk on top. Feeling curious, I flip the Disk over and notice the "clamps" look more like metal straps under a closer glance. No release clasp made itself visible to my eye, which annoyed me somewhat — how was I supposed to take this thing off if I couldn't manually release it? Not wanting to potentially damage the Disk by tinkering with the "clamps", I flipped the Disk back over and took out my Deck for another look through.

Looking through my cards, my mind begins to wander, thinking about the memories I had seen so far and what they meant. The most recent memory had concerned a "Speed Spell", and a potentially powerful one at that, considering the reaction of that rider's enemies when it was activated. But what _was_ a Speed Spell? How was it different from a regular Spell Card? Could both be used in a Duel, or were these Spells separated entirely from the main Duel Monster lineup?

And what about these vehicles with Duel Disks attached to them? Were they some other form of Duel Monsters that I couldn't remember? Would I need to know about it soon? Did Yusei know, since he owned such a vehicle? Or should I ask Rally and the others, considering my growing sense that Yusei didn't fully trust me yet? My brain threatened to explode with the overabundance of questions, so I put my Deck back in the Disk's slot and leaned my head back against the wall. Closing my eyes, I felt I deserved a few minutes rest considering I had been in four Duels now and had suffered two headache-inducing flashbacks.

A glimmer of light from the deactivated computer screen suddenly catches my attention. Hadn't the computer been turned off since I got here? Was this a screensaver, or some program that activated after a certain time offline, or, the worst-case scenario; was someone hacking this computer and potentially gaining secret information about Yusei and his friends? Getting up quickly, I stride over to the computer, now seeing it to be an old laptop computer connected to a larger modem and several wires leading to the generator. Why such a small device would require so much electrical power stumped me, but my focus turned towards the black screen, its darkness passive against the lamp's artificial light.

Just as I start to turn away and dismiss the earlier image, small white letters appear on the screen, moving horizontally like someone is typing a message. The words are small, but their color makes them stand out against the screen.

[Greetings, Netrunner.]

I blink in shock; how did this person know my supposed alias name? Before I can fully react, more words appear below.

[You are suffering memory loss. I can help you fix that.]

At that moment, my hands stiffen and move forward against my will, gliding across the computer's main keyboard and typing a response.

{Who are you? How do you know me?}

[My identity must remain secret, Netrunner. I know who you are because I helped make you that way.]

{What do you mean _made_? Should I know you from somewhere?} I cast a fearful glance towards the TV as I type this, Rally and gang still huddled around it with concentration as the _clack_ of the keyboard echoes slightly through the station. If they saw what I was doing…

[Don't worry about who I am. Your destiny lies elsewhere. I can't explain any more now, but I will help you in your current state.]

{I don't need your help!}

[You do, Netrunner. More than you realize. AUTHORIZE CODE "NETWORK"]

As I read the capitalized sentence, a sharp blare comes from the computer as my Duel Disk starts blinking with multicolored lights. Startled, I lurch backwards, able to hold my footing as the screen flickers with static before turning black again. Muffled exclamations come from Blitz and Nervin as the four race to my location.

"What happened," Tank asks for everyone. "Are you alright?"

"…I'm fine," I respond while releasing my Duel Disk after noticing the lights had vanished. "I thought there was something on the computer that was making the screen glitch. I guess I triggered an alarm when I pressed a key or something."

"You shouldn't be near that computer anyway," Rally nearly shouts at me in sudden anger. "That's Yusei's personal computer! He uses it for Duel Runner simulations and programs, and he never allows us to touch it!"

"Maybe you should have told me that when I first came down here," I countered with sudden and unexpected rage at Rally's attitude. "Then this situation could have been avoided. What, am I not in the loop enough to know my supposed friend's handiwork? How much further do I have to go to earn your trust? Or am I too much of a stranger to ever be trusted by the likes of you?!"

I am prevented from speaking further as a sudden _slap_ in the face from Blitz breaks my concentration. I stand in shock, my cheek reddening as my brain slowly registers what I had been saying. I step back while slapping a hand over my mouth, my heart hammering with fear. Had I just ruined any chance of friendships here with my short temper?

'_Stay calm,_' I think to myself as the four stare at me with mixed expressions. '_Just stay silent and you can let this pass over. Don't focus on the negative, keep positive, and you'll be fine._'

This reasoning shatters as I see Rally turn his back to me in contempt, walking back to the TV with head held high. The others look at me with unsaid anger before heading back as well. Tears build up in my eyes as I realize I've probably lost the only friends I had here. And when they told Yusei, he'll be mad at me too. The sting of my cheek is overpowered by the ache of my heart as I realize just what I've lost.

I walk back to the wall I had sat at before, curling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Lowering my head, I quietly let the tears fall, not wanting to interrupt the Duel as it reaches its climatic moves. A large part of me just wants to sleep and think of this as some sort of dream, but a much smaller part makes me open my eyes and lift my head slightly as a beeping sound emanates from my Duel Disk. I look at the device, seeing a blinking red light next to the center display that hadn't been there before. Being tired from earlier emotional release, I don't question the purpose of the light as I press it with a stiff finger.

The Disk emits a small _cachunk_ before the center display glows blinding white, a holographic image shining upwards to my view. This image shows an envelope icon, a small circle with the words "2 NEW" adjacent to it. Sniffling as my interest grows, I look down at the Disk and see a flashing green light below the blinking red one. Pressing this one, the display changes into an electronic message similar to an e-mail. I read with careful study the following…

"Dear Duel Disk User,

Thank you for registering your Duel Disk with the New Domino City DP Bank System! In order to access your DP balance, the following access code has been provided: 5-16-19-9-12-15-14. Please remember this code, as it contains important information to your account and credentials. If you lose this message, please contact DP Bank Customer Service for how to get a new account code.

You can access your account at any time through your Duel Disk! Simply press the center display to activate the initial menu screen and select the "Account" option. This page will show your current balance, the earnings of your most recent Duel, as well as recent deposits/purchases you have made. To make a deposit or purchase, you can enter the code on a Deposit/Transfer slip at a DP Bank register or as a gift from a friend's account, or speak with a DP Bank associate for amounts larger than 1000 DP.

For further details or questions, please consult a DP Bank attendant. Thank you for choosing the New Domino City DP Bank System. Happy Dueling!

NDC DPB  
>'Your Duel, Your Earnings!'"<p>

I blink several times as I finish this message—was this "DP" some form of currency here? It looked like you earned "DP" through Duels, but what about account managements that were beyond Duel Monsters? Had this game become so widely accepted that accounting systems were created for the sole purpose of Dueling?!

I shake my head to clear my thoughts, closing the message by pressing the red light. The second message pops up instantly for my reading…

"Netrunner,

I have taken the liberty of adding some consolation DP to your account to help you get on your feet. It's a rough world out there, and it pays to be prepared. Oh, there should also be a special card inside that Duel Disk of yours that'll give you some extra 'speed'. Just fiddle around and you'll find it.

Welcome to the Network."

I frown as I finish this message — this was probably the same person who had written on Yusei's computer earlier. Even without a signature to confirm it, the language felt the same to my eye. Why was this person helping me? Were they under a similar alias name, or was this connected to some greater plan? Whatever the reason, my gut instincts were telling me to check it out, so I listened to it. Closing the message, I saw the envelope icon from before now with an icon of a Duel Disk and an icon of a wad of bills. Suspecting the bills to be the "Account" icon, I clicked that and found my current account statement…

"BALANCE: 5407 DP

PREVIOUS DUEL EARNINGS: 356 DP

RECENT TRANSFERS/PURCHASES: 407 DP added to account"

The amount surprised me, even though I didn't know how much DP was needed for basic items that could be purchased by it. Over five thousand of it seemed like a lot to my untrained eye, but I would have to test that theory with a purchase of some kind. I would just have to ask around and see if any purchases could be found…

Oh, right. My friends hate my guts right now, so asking them would only make the situation worse. I could ask Yusei if I got to him before the others did… but then they would probably get more suspicious of me since I wasn't speaking to them about my issues, so that's out as well. The only other option I saw would be to go out and look for myself. However, this being "Satellite" and the talk of gangs taking land and names by force, I had no real interest in going solo just yet. Closing the holographic image, I look over my Duel Disk with a scrutinizing eye, trying to find the 'special' card the message had spoken about.

It didn't take too long before I saw a slot just below the Deck holder, hidden almost perfectly from a casual glance. As I moved my hand near the slot, a small _whir_ sounded as a card popped out like a sheet of paper from a printer. Holding said card, I flip it over to see the image. My eyes widen as the same image from my previous vision is shown on the card. The card's name is even the same: "Speed Spell: Wheelie Breaker". My heart leaps at this new prospect, but falls again as I realize this puts me no closer to making amends with Yusei and his friends. Placing the card carefully in my pocket, I lean back against the wall and close my eyes for some hopeful rest after today's events.

Opening my eyes after what feels like a few minutes but was probably longer, I see a familiar red vehicle enter the station and slowly stop. Yusei steps off and removes his helmet, silently placing it on the Runner's seat before stepping off the tracks and onto the station platform. I stand up as quickly as possible, noticing a few lamps have been moved inside the curtained area; the sleeping space, I suspected.

"Yusei," I say quietly as I approach the man. "We need to talk. There have been a couple of events while you were gone." Yusei just looks at me without changing expression, giving me the courage to continue.

"First, I've had a bit of a…falling out with your friends after I touched your personal computer. However, I hadn't been told that it was yours, but they would probably have ignored that in their accusation against me. That's why I wanted to speak with you first."

"Why were you at my computer?" Yusei asks calmly. I take a breath to calm myself before continuing.

"Well, there was someone messaging me through your computer screen, even though the device was turned off. He or she knew who I was and could help me with my memories. This "help" was given to me through a transfer of something called "DP" to my Duel Disk account. I don't know whether this person is a threat or not, but I didn't damage your computer while the messenger was using it."

"I'll take a look in a moment," Yusei concludes while glancing at the powered-down device, " And the "DP" is called "Duel Points. It's common currency here that you earn after Duels depending on how well you played. What else happened?"

"I found this card in my Duel Disk; the same person who used your computer also told me where to find it. You know what it means?" I take the Speed Spell out of my pocket and show it to him as I say this. For the first time since I saw him, Yusei's eyes widen, telling me that this card actually was important.

"That's a Speed Spell," he explains without changing his tone. "They're only used in Riding Duels in place of regular Spell Cards. A Duelist who has them and a D-Wheel like the one I own is known as a 'Turbo Duelist'. But only Sector Security and I have Speed Spells in the Satellite…" He ends on a curious note, looking at me with an expression I couldn't define.

"We'll look more into this in the morning," Yusei concludes. "I'll speak to Rally and the others when they wake up and tell them what you've told me here. They're the forgiving type, so don't worry about it too much. For now, get some rest on the couch; I think you need it from what's happened today."

A small smile flickers across Yusei's face before his usual expression returns. I giggle slightly before nodding in agreement, heading to the couch and lying down unceremoniously. A bit of dust rises from my landing, but not enough to make me cough from exposure. Closing my eyes, I see Yusei already hard at work on his computer.

'_Well,_' I think to myself, '_Today was…interesting, to say the least. Here's hoping tomorrow will be just as interesting, if not better…_'

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, hopefully that'll offer some satisfaction to you all. Please continue to comment, criticize (with REASON), and offer suggestions onto this story; your help is greatly appreciated!<strong>

**Next chapter, there WILL be Duels: I say that in plural form because I hope to put in more than one in the same chapter. Something to look forward to, then!**

You shouldn't keep them waiting, you know. If you do, they'll lose interest in your work. That's why I always do my best in a Riding Duel, to keep my fans hooked on my greatness!

**...Your self-inserted connections are starting to annoy me, Jack. Keep going like that, and you'll be leaving here with a burnt rear end (smoke rises from nostrils)**

I'm not afraid of you! Anyway, you should let your audience return to their lives.

**Quite so. Draconos is taking off!**


	4. C4: Rescue Mission! The Master Magician!

**Hello, dear readers! I'm finally back with a new chapter! Alright, I've got a few things to lay on you all, so bear with me before we get started.**

**First off, after being informed by a Beta Reader for this site of SEVERAL glaring problems with my work, the last few chapters have been edited to make sure this story isn't taken off the site. To those of you who are confused by such a change, I'm sorry for this sudden shift. But, I wanted to make sure that I could do all the changes in one fell swoop instead of updating individual chapters and making you all confused as to what was what.**

**Second, I apologize for the delay on this, but there WAS work! Also, there won't be two Duels here, but one long one which will bring out the emotions of both Duelists. I hope that's enough (scratches back of head sheepishly)**

Don't let your fans down like that! You are breaking your promise!

**Don't YOU start, Mr. Atlas! Let's just get the questions out of the way. Actually it's pretty simple this time, because the only two emotions really brought on in the previous chapter either positive comments and encouragement or disappointment at last chapter's lack of a Duel.**

See? You are letting them down because you are not including enough Duels in a Duel Monsters story!

**Do you know how long it takes to write a good Duel?! I have to keep track of so many different things... But enough of that, I'm sure you don't want to hear them. Jack, the disclaimer!**

The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC and duel deck.

**You sounded less enthusiastic there. Anyway, Onward to the Chapter!**

* * *

><p><em>A display panel appears before my eyes from darkness, light blue holographic imagery showing detailed schematics for some construction. Floodlights activate around me and aim at a circular pit a few feet forward from my position. The pit is surrounded by countless gray mechanical arms with various tools on their visible ends. Each arm moves slightly as lines of white appear on the gray walls of the small room I realize I am within. My hands rise to the panel, the upper part of each finger connected with wiring to an unseen power source like an old robot to its charging station.<em>

_My fingers lightly tap against a highlighted keyboard on the panel, entering in short lines of coding I didn't have any degree of recognizing. With each line entered, the room around me brightens a small degree, the white lines on the walls growing in number until the walls are crisscrossed with streams of interlaced energy. The pit then opens up and a large platform rises from underneath the room to view; the panel is transparent enough for me to vaguely see it. Positioned on the platform is a wire frame for some sort of single-wheeled D-Wheel, but without the exterior plating, wheels and internal systems attached I couldn't tell what design it was supposed to be._

_"BEGIN CONSTRUCTION," An automated female voice blares into the room, my typing pausing instantly as the bones in my hands lock in place. The display panel closes as quickly as it had appeared with no visible trace of its presence. The wires connecting to each finger suddenly flow with a blue liquid, my hands feeling warmer as something fills them beyond my own blood. My body sits back into a provided chair, my hands directed by some other force to grip against the armrests. The floodlights fully illuminate the wire frame as the tool-wielding arms move around the frame like predators about to strike. They only back off when an outer ring of panels rises from just around the pit, each panel holding a metal frame piece of brilliant white. My vision warps suddenly as if under severe intoxication, my ears being plugged with some sort of tube without warning and blasted with sound waves. I don't know what to do to stop this sensation…_

_Until that thought is banished from my mind with an electrical current through my brain, along with any emotions that had built up since my awakening. I sit passively at a forward slouch, my body immobile but my eyes open and focused on the scene before me. The panels start moving around the D-Wheel frame in a set circular motion, grasper arms from the ceiling taking specific parts as they pass by. Any piece grabbed is turned to a precise position in midair before being gently placed on the frame and held firmly. Wherever two or more pieces intertwine, sparks can be seen as torch arms weld them together with calculated precision. Time passes in this manner, the only sounds being the whirrs of the countless arms and the hiss of open flames on metal._

_Seconds, minutes, hours later, the moving panels retract into where they emerged, now clear of the parts they once held. As the tool arms shift back, my body stiffens and sits fully upright, hands tingling with warmth as more of the blue substance enters them._

_"FRAME CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE," the same female voice announces. "PERMISSION FROM CONTROLLER TO ATTACH USER – SELECTED SPECIALTIES?" It takes a second for my deactivated brain to notice that this is a question asked at me and not just an automated statement._

_"Proceed with selected specialties," A silver-tongued voice with a metallic tune says without permission through my lips. "Designate User as Subject 'Epsilon'."_

_"ACKNOWLEDGED. ACCESSING DATA FROM PROVIDED HOST USER…"_

_A choked gasp comes from my throat as the wires in my ears extend further inside me, breaking past the eardrums and into my brain…_

* * *

><p>… As I wake up to the familiar smell and feel of damp concrete. My eyes water with loss of focus and tears of pain, a moan from my lips filling the void within my ears quite nicely. Once again, I am forced to get up on all fours, only this time I have an aching head instead of an aching throat. Then again, did I actually drink any water while I was here, or was I just too dehydrated to notice it?<p>

I shake my head to clear my brain of these boggling questions, only to have my vision start looping from the fluids in my inner ear sloshing around. Why I knew that made me wonder exactly how real that dream had been. It had been a dream, right, not some kind of crazed vision of mechanical torture? Then again, there had been a Duel Runner frame designated under the name on my dog tag, so it could have been a vision of my past.

My past must have been screwed up for something like that to ever happen…

My inner monologue is broken by the sight of Nervin racing down the station's stairs. His face shows excitement, perhaps too much excitement for the current situation. Had he found something worthwhile amongst the scrap heaps of Satellite?

"Hey, Samuel," he greets while catching his breath. "You feeling better?"

"Much, actually," I respond without trying to sound as confused as I was feeling. "What's the rush?"

"Oh, right," he begins before composing himself. "Yusei and the others told us of what you told him late last night. Let me just say that we're sorry; Our tempers got the better of us, and we were watching on of Jack Atlas's performances." The way he says 'Jack Atlas' makes me question just how much history he and the rest of Yusei's friends had with the Duelist.

"Now, for the main thing," he continues with renewed energy. "I've found someone who's willing to sell a D-Wheel for you! He lives about six blocks west from here, at an abandoned warehouse with his friends. He's had the offer up for a day or two, but no one's come looking yet. Except for me, of course. His prices are actually quite cheap compared to the parts shops around here!"

I mull this information over silently; this offer coming out of the blue seems suspicious, but if what Yusei had said about my potential of being a 'Turbo Duelist' was true, then I would need the Runner to complete what I think is the common image of such a person. Suspicion or not, this was a chance I wasn't going to turn away if it meant making a better image for myself.

"Alright, Nervin," I say after clearing my throat of morning breath, "Let's check this out. Will I have to use this 'DP' I've heard about?"

"Yeah, it's the common currency here instead of cash," Nervin responds with a knowing flicker in his eyes. "Yusei had also said you had gotten an anonymous transfer of DP to your Duel Disk; seems like someone wants to help you out in making a living here!"

"Help or hinder, I don't know..." I mutter this to myself as I follow Nervin out of the subway station and into the light of a surprisingly sunny day in Satellite.

* * *

><p>After following Nervin for 20 minutes down several blocks of similar scenes to what I had seen when I walked with Rally yesterday, Nervin perks up and points at a large warehouse hustled between two former apartment complexes. The warehouse is worn brick with a roof of sheet metal and one large door of reinforced wood and metal bars. A man who seems to be trying out for the punk Duelist look stands outside this door, wearing a brown vest with several buttons over a green shirt and has a blond mohawk hair jutting from his head. A Duel Disk the same design as the rest I had seen around Satellite is attached around his left arm. A silver necklace hangs from his neck and shines about as clear as the expression on his face; it looks like it's trying it's hardest to share genuine care, but the smile doesn't have the same visual appeal. Doubt starts to rise in my mind but I shut it down with the resolve to finish this through.<p>

"Hey, Kuroe," Nervin addresses the man in a cheerful tone. "I've found someone who's interested in that D-Wheel you were selling. Samuel here would like to make a deal."

"You, huh?" Kuroe is quick to glance me over, the smile never breaking as he does so. "You're interested in that Wheel?" The doubt from before starts trickling back, but I keep my emotions down for now, giving a curt nod in response to his question.

"Well," he continues, "I can sell it to you for a very cheap price; 1,000 DP. How does that sound to you?" I open up my Duel Disk Account and double-check my balance, seeing I had more than 5 times that much, including the 'anonymous' transfer that had occurred last night.

"That's enough," I respond before raising an eyebrow at Kuroe's unchanging face. "That is, if you don't have any other bargains to add to the pot."

"Well, how about this, then," Kuroe responds quickly with the glint of a greedy man. "You two are cooped up in the old subway station nearby, right? Since I'm in such a good mood today, I'll have my boys deliver it to the station for you, at no extra cost. How's that for a bargain?"

"That will do exquisitely," I say with a flourishing bow. Kuroe grins even wider as he accesses his Duel Disk display and sends a transfer request for the required amount to my account. Seeing the message on my display, I approve the request with the press of a button.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Samuel," Kuroe says strangely as the transfer is electronically sent from my account to his. I only nod back with a smile, feeling like a patsy businessman making a successful venture into high-stakes territory.

"Well then," Nervin says with a smile. "Things turned out better than I thought they would! Let's get going; I can show you the nearby area if you're interested." I nod again, choosing to remain silent and prevent the doubt now roaring in my stomach from showing.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, judging by the position of the sun against the day's pollution, I reach the subway entrance ahead of Nervin, who had stopped at a parts store he said Yusei went to from time to time. Apparently, he had to make a quick purchase for the gang's power supply, but I didn't want to inquire too deeply into it. I finger a rusty water canteen in my hands, having 'liberated' it from outside the store and deposited all the water within it before. Now to find some sort of cooler or tap that wasn't polluted by the amount of factory waste…<p>

Stepping down into the dark station, I quickly notice a large D-Wheel with the same two-wheeled design Yusei's own Wheel has. The big differences were the white color design and the lack of an upper prong, the seat having no backrest for the rider. A thrill went through me as I assume this to be my delivered D-Wheel, my hands itching in anticipation of what this Runner would look like. Placing a hand on the side of the vehicle, I jump back as static electricity arcs onto my fingers for a brief moment. The question of how safely this Runner was transported comes to mind, as well as the growing notion that something wasn't right with how the Wheel looked. The solution is beyond my grasp, though…

The sound of footsteps approaching makes me turn back towards the station stairs and see Nervin coming down but without any extra parts from his visit to the store.

"Hey," he quickly comments while pointing at the Wheel. "Is that the D-Wheel?"

"It seems like it," I respond while trying to keep my returning doubts down. "I think you or Yusei should look through it before I test it, though."

"Oh, I can do that," Nervin says before walking to the Runner and inspecting it. I hear mutterings of "frame shape" and "average body scheme" as he walks around the D-Wheel and looks at each aspect carefully. As he takes a second look at the inner frame behind the seat, he stops and looks even closer at that area. My blood starts to turn cold in worry; was something important missing that was required for the Runner to function? My lack of memories keep me from knowing how these vehicles work, and the recent visions weren't helping any.

"What the heck?!" Nervin suddenly blurts out as he jerks back from the Wheel. "There's no engine here! This is the usual spot where an engine would go in the Wheel…" Pausing, he looks at the front end of the Wheel, stopping at a large space before the seat. I walk over silently and take a look as well, noticing a gap between the frame above the frontal wheel and the rider's handgrips.

"No CPU either?!" Nervin announces before moaning in despair and covering his face with his hands. "This is just a D-Wheel frame! No wonder Kuroe sold it at such a cheap price! We've been scammed!"

My throat locks up as anger instinctively begins to boil inside me; I knew we shouldn't have trusted that punk wannabe! His face said it all; he was a scammer who had tricked us out of a good D-Wheel to make a few DP for himself. My fists clench as I try to keep my emotions down; it won't do anyone any good if I raged out now, and I would probably damage the D-Wheel's frame I had just purchased for myself. Looking over to Nervin, I was shocked to see an equal level of anger simmering on his face.

"Oooh, that lowlife Kuroe!" He says with a deep frown. "Why didn't I suspect he'd try this? I should have been more careful!" He then turns to me and bows deeply in apology.

"I'm really, really sorry for this, Samuel," he confesses. "This is my fault. But I'm going to go and set things right with Kuroe; I'll make sure he gives us a better deal and doesn't mess with anyone else again!" Before I can respond, Nervin whirls around and races back up the stairs. I stand motionless for a few moments, blinking in surprise at the quick resolve of my friend. Then utter horror sets in as I realize just what Nervin's trying to do; challenging a man who looked like that about a faulty purchase would probably lead to a fight to say the least. Nervin could be killed trying to help me; I couldn't let that happen! This was my problem, so I should solve it with my friend's by my side, not have them race in blindly and solve it for me! I have to stop him or help him, whichever becomes more important!

* * *

><p>Racing up and outside, my worry grows as I see Nervin is nowhere in sight. Knowing where he's going, I am struck with a choice; do I rush in and attempt to save Nervin before he gets potentially harmed, or do I wait to inform Yusei and the others of the incident and get their help? My head believes it would be better to get help before I approach Kuroe, but my gut instinct and anger say to rescue Nervin now before he gets into too much danger. Basically, this is a balance of risk against reward, and I don't know which option was better.<p>

Eventually, my rising anger at Kuroe's shady dealings and my own ineptitude make a decision made my choice for me. My body suddenly charges forward, racing down the street in an almost blind rage before turning into a connecting alleyway on the same route Nervin and I had gone through earlier today. Taking twist and turns on an instinctual level, I soon found myself in front of the same warehouse, Kuroe standing guard once again with a smaller smile on his face than before. Near him are two boys talking idly to one another but stop once they see my enraged presence.

"Kuroe," I announce while advancing on his position. "I've come to state a complaint about the D-Wheel you sold me, as well as inquire about the location of my friend Nervin."

"Oh, so you want to complain, too?" He laughs like a classic gangster at me, my anger growing at his now-snobbish attitude. "Yeah, your pal Nervin came by and complained about the D-Wheel, but he's talking with our leader now about being kinder to others. I don't think you want to disturb them."

"Then you are holding him hostage," I quickly analyze as I stop a few feet in front of him. "You will let me pass this instant to see him!"

"You think I'm just gonna let you walk on in? Not a chance! This isn't New Domino City, kid; we aren't rich enough to do what we want in the world. Those who let themselves get walked on will lose everything out here."

"Survival of the fittest, huh?" My anger almost reaches boiling point as I lose further respect for Kuroe's judgment. My mind suddenly sees him for what he actually is; a common street rat, a thug who does anything to make his own life better.

"You sicken me, you know that?" The verbal acid in my statement makes Kuroe's smile almost break completely, the two boys quickly vacating the area before things got too ugly to watch.

"Sickness is a common trait in Satellite," Kuroe replies darkly. At seeing my raised eyebrow, he chuckles. "You didn't think I would make such a deal without some extra benefit for myself? You've got a D-Wheel frame — there's enough scrap around this place to make your own engine and CPU!"

"If that's true, then you should have stated the lacking objects when the purchase was first made," I rebut with narrowed eyes. "Since you didn't, I have the legal right, as a customer, to state a complaint for lack of knowledge about the purchase." Part of me grew angry at the fact I am explaining this like a court case when I should really just get him out of the way.

"Legal right?! That's a laugh!" Kuroe does laugh after he says this, annoying me further at his antics. "There's no 'legal right' in Satellite, even with 'Sector Security' abusing the laws they made themselves; its make or break out here, and you've gotta be mean at times to survive! Now grow up and go back to your other friends, they'll actually listen to your concerns."

"THAT'S IT!" I roar as I lunge at Kuroe with blinding speed, grabbing him and lifting him off the ground before slamming his body hard against the metal door. "You tell me where Nervin is right now, or I will show you just how 'mean' I can really be!" Before I can continue my intimidation, Kuroe shoves me onto the rubble with sudden strength, breaking my grip on him while humiliating me in the process. I jump up with gnashing teeth to see the punk lookalike readying his Duel Disk and entering a Duel stance similar to Nervin's when I had Dueled him.

"How about we settle this like Duelists," he offers. "You win, and I'll let you inside to rescue your friend. You lose and you leave without coming back for any reason. We can hurl as much holographic monster attacks as we want without me having to spill your blood all over this nice street. If you're gonna continue being this angry, you are going to be well acquainted with the ground real soon." I shoot proverbial daggers into his eyes but hold myself from attacking like a deranged carnivore, readying my own Duel Disk instead.

"You haven't even begun to see how angry I can be," I say as my anger moves to my chest and ignites a roaring flame within. Kuroe's smile is mostly gone, to my delight, but he still acts confident against my enraged self. We draw our initial hands, each casting sharp glares at the other in order to test their mettle in the face of a challenge.

'_Nervin…_' I think as I take a deep breath, '_Hang on. I'm coming to save you!_'

"DUEL!"

* * *

><p><strong>[DUEL BEGINS] [ROUND 1] [Samuel: 4000 LPKuroe: 4000 LP]**

"Since I'm being challenged," Kuroe announces, "I'll be going first!" He draws a sixth card to his hand, looking at it for a few moments before his smile grows even more. I swallow heavily as I look at my hand; there weren't any winning moves in this set, which would hurt if he got field control with his Deck.

"I'll kick this off with Dark Elf in Attack Mode!" After Kuroe says this and places the card on his Disk, a aquamarine–robed maiden with an ornate golden headdress appears in a flash of black fire. The maiden's hair waves in shades of indigo, her chocolate–colored skin and ruby red lips showing her beauty to any who would observe her. Her eyes remain closed, possibly to block out the material world from her magical self **(DARK, Spellcaster, 2000 ATK, 800 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"After that, I'll Set two cards face-down," Kuroe finishes up. "Let's see what you can do against my Elf."

"Oh, you'll soon see," I reply as I draw my sixth card. Looking at my hand again, I realize I can't do that much against his field; the Elf is too high in Attack Points for most of my lower LVL monsters to defeat without effects boosting them. There is one option, though, but doing so would put me at huge disadvantage if it failed. Well, I have to defeat this guy one way or another; Nervin is in trouble and he is holding me back!

"I Summon Snitch in Attack Mode!" I cry out seconds before a strange apparition appears on my field. Looking like a cluster of yellow blocks against the gray field, the cluster constantly shifts from one form to another as if it couldn't keep one form for very long **(DARK, Program/Tuner, 1000 ATK, 800 DEF, LVL 2)**.

"THAT card's your big play?" Kuroe laughs his head off when he sees my monster's stats, "It's far too weak to beat my Elf!"

"Well, I'm not going to attack your Elf," I respond as I activate another card with the image of a cloned android dressed in punk-style riding a hoverbike through a futuristic cityscape and clearly enjoying the journey. "I play the Spell Card Early Bird! This allows Snitch to attack twice this Battle Phase and attack you directly for the first attack!" Snitch glows with a white aura as its form shifts even faster than before with the additional programming. A moment later, to my surprise, a humanoid specter grabs onto the program's form and violently holds it in place.

"I can't let your Spell go unchecked," Kuroe explains with his usual grin as I saw an activated card on his field showing the same specter sucking the life out of a man. "Counter Trap; Magic Drain! Now your Early Bird is negated and destroyed unless you discard one Spell Card from your hand. Think of this like a second business deal, but with better results if you comply." I let loose a growl before showing the Notoriety Spell in my hand to him and placing it in the Graveyard slot of my Disk. The Trap shatters as the specter vanishes into the ground with an echoing howl, its energy sated.

"Battle," I call out. "Snitch attacks you directly through Early Bird's effect! Shifting Seizure!" The program quickly begins to flash brightly, colors dancing around itself like an old disco light show as it phases through the robed elf and strikes Kuroe across the cheek. Kuroe stumbles back in reaction but I see him pause when he didn't feel any pain with the attack. He grows more surprised when his Elf is pulled by Snitch's lights to my field, her eyes glowing yellow and glazed over like the deep ocean.

"What happened?" Kuroe shouts at me. "What did you do to my Elf?"

"Snitch's effect," I carefully explain. "If it would deal Battle Damage to you, I can prevent the Damage and take control of a monster you control until the End Phase. Dark Elf, attack Kuroe direct—"

I stop my declaration as a burning sensation spreads over my body, the Elf holding a raised hand burning with black fire as the fire grew from my energies **(Samuel: 4000—3000 LP)**. I hear Kuroe's laugh as the pain numbs away, the fire inside me burning almost as bright as the flame in the Elf's manicured hand.

"Guess you didn't know about Dark Elf's effect," Kuroe finally announces. "Whenever she attacks, her controller has to pay 1000 Life Points. Not what you planned, hmm?"

The only response I give is a pointing finger and the words "Mystic Flame!" The Elf instantly launches the wielded fire at Kuroe, but a strange arcane circle appears suddenly and holds the flame in place.

"Here's my other Trap," Kuroe chuckles. "Magician's Circle! Since a Spellcaster-Type monster is attacking, both of us can Special Summon a Spellcaster from our Decks in Attack Mode. I was originally going to use it to extend my own attacks, but defending against yours works just fine. I Special Summon a second Dark Elf in Attack Mode!" So saying, a second maiden, identical to the first except for her brighter–colored hair, appears on his field. I know that my Deck didn't have Spellcaster Monsters, so I wordlessly command my Snitched Dark Elf to attack Kuroe's new Dark Elf instead, the two maidens launching waves of fire at one another and equally losing the battle.

"Don't think I'm done yet," I mutter darkly. "Due to Early Bird's effects, Snitch can attack a second time this turn, and now that your cards are all cleared out, nothing will stop this attack! Shifting Seizure!" The program flashes and slams into Kuroe again, this time dealing actual virtual damage (Kuroe: 4000—3000 LP). I take a strange delight in seeing his reaction to actual simulated pain. It's probably the closest I can get to dealing him actual justice for his wrongs without spilling blood. "With that done," I finish up, "I Set one card face-down. Your turn." I keep a straight face as the card is Set; if I played this right, I could probably gain the upper hand in this Duel. If this plan failed, Nervin will probably be in a lot more trouble…

**[ROUND 2] [Samuel: 3000 LP/Kuroe: 3000 LP]**

"So you've got some neat tricks," Kuroe comments as he draws for his turn and looks at his hand of four cards. "That doesn't mean you're going to win! I Summon Skilled Dark Magician in Attack Mode!" A flash of lightning follows this statement before a solemn–faced magician stepped onto the field. His robes were black mixed with diamond chest plate and large blue shoulder pads, a simple staff with a glowing blue orb and a simplistic headdress that helped shroud his eyes from view **(DARK, Spellcaster, 1900 ATK/1700 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"Next, I'll activate the Spell Magical Blast! This deals you 200 points of Damage for each Spellcaster–Type monster I control." A massive sphere of blue and red energy appears on the end of the magician's staff before it is fired at me. I shield myself with my Duel Disk as the sphere explodes upon impact **(Samuel: 3000—2800 LP)**. Simulated pain flares across my arms and hands as I try to keep my anger down enough to Duel skillfully. A growing part of me is getting angry, though…

"Now for my Magician's effect," Kuroe continues as his monster glows a dark flaming purple. "Each time a Spell Card is activated, this guy gains a Spell Counter. Once he reaches his full set, I'll be able to Summon my Deck's most powerful monster! Now, battle! Attack Snitch with Dark Magic Blast!" As the aura dissipates **(Spell Counter: 1)**, the magician wordlessly raises his staff as a sphere of crackling black energy coalesces on the instrument's end. Once the sphere reaches the diameter of a large wheel, it is fired at my program with a _whoosh_ of arcane winds. Midway in its travel, though, the field suddenly turns black as several red lights shine on the magician's form, the sphere dissipating away as its energy is erased. Kuroe looks in surprise at this change, glaring at a flipped card on my field showing the image of an X-rayed dog with several warning arrows pointing at various parts of its body.

"Quick–Play Spell Card," I explain. "Emergency Shutdown! This allows me to change your monster's Battle Position for the rest of the Battle Phase." The man is forced to kneel as the card takes effect, letting me breathe a small sigh of relief even as the same purple fire glows around him **(Spell Counter: 2)**. The plan has worked out after all; Now I just have to hope that I can sculpt out a win despite the few cards in my hand. But Kuroe has few cards in his hand as well… Is he planning something big on his next turn, or is he bluffing me to charge right into a game-ending Trap? Then again, Kuroe's expression showed that he had not planned for that to happen. Was this the extent of his strategic thinking?

"Don't think that'll save you," he comments sharply. "If anything, it helped me by giving my Magician another Spell Counter, and I've still got quite a good amount of Life Points to spare. I'll Set one more card facedown and see if you can do any better." As the Set Card appears on his field, I see Kuroe's anger dissipate into calmed aggression. He seems to be confident of his current positon. I wordlessly draw a card for my turn, looking at the four cards in my hand with growing concern as I realize I can't win this turn. The anger inside me seems passive for now, but I can still feel its presence, waiting for the earliest opportunity to burst forth and make me tear Kuroe apart. But I can't: not while we have near-equal Life Points. I just have to find a way to get around his cards for another round…

"I Tribute Snitch to Advance Summon Ken "Express" Tenma in Attack Mode!" The yellow–blocked program seems to fold into itself before changing into a humanoid form. This form morphs into an android with electric blue hair, visible lines of robotic plating on its tanned skin, bright white eyes with black pupils and a red blazer over a white shirt, sky blue pants and red running shoes. His hair was gelled back to represent spikes and his face carries a cocky expression similar to Kuroe's own punk style as he shifts on his feet like he is about to start sprinting to an unseen finish line **(WIND, Machine/Clone, 2400 ATK/1800 DEF, LVL 5)**.

"Battle! Ken attacks Skilled Dark Magician! Parkour Punishment!" The clone leaps forward and spins around before aiming a devastating kick at the kneeling magician, slamming its foot into the robed man's face as a digital snap is heard from the impact. The magician vanishes into digital pixels as the clone backflips onto my field with a satisfied grin, its shoe slightly caked in digital blood from kicking someone's face in.

"I Set one card facedown," I conclude, "and end my turn." I avoid glancing at this new card, not wanting to give anything away to Kuroe. I'm surprised to not see his Set card be activated when my monster had attacked; Is that card a bluff, or have I overestimated on Kuroe's thinking under pressure?

**[ROUND 3] [Samuel: 2800 LP/Kuroe: 3000 LP]**

"Draw!" Kuroe quickly pulls the top card off of his Deck, a fiendish grin breaking out on his face as he looks over the two cards in his hand. He quickly places the one he just drew onto his Duel Disk, the image showing a strange purple curtain with an inscribed pentagram symbol. The curtain starts to open with billowing winds as a deep purple aura surrounds Kuroe's body.

"I activate the Spell Dark Magic Curtain!" Kuroe's excitement makes my stomach freeze over as dark purple mist begins to spread out from the curtain. Kuroe's Life Points suddenly drop with him clutching his stomach **(Kuroe: 3000–1500 LP)**, but his grin doesn't fade away. I then see a green staff with a white–green jewel inside, much more ornately designed than Skilled Dark Magician's was; is this Kuroe's trump card finally coming to play?

"I pay half my Life Points," Kuroe explains quickly, "In order to Special Summon my Deck's most powerful monster, a monster that has stood the test of time from the original King of Games, Yugi Muto! Come on out, DARK MAGICIAN!" At these words, a man in a strange mix of purple armor and robe leaps from the curtain clutching the same staff I had seen seconds before in his right hand. In full view, the staff is extremely intricate, seemingly carved from a single piece of material. The robe/armor moves seamlessly despite there being countless pieces of it on the man's body. His face is almost playful, light green eyes shining with amusement at my ever wanting to challenge him **(DARK, Spellcaster, 2500 ATK/2100 DEF, LVL 7)**.

"D...Dark Magician?" I stutter in awe. "How do you own that card? It used to be the King of Game's personal best monster!"

"Now it's mine!" Kuroe laughs with triumph. "This card took a lot of searching and backhanded trust to get, much more to build a Deck around him, but it was well worth it. Now I have the King of Game's personal copy of one of the most powerful Duel Monsters at my command: This card alone is more powerful than just about anything a Satellite could put together. So, now that you've seen my Deck's powerhouse, are you having second thoughts about challenging me?" Kuroe's face seems drunk with power as he asks this question, causing me to instinctively adopt a more defensive stance.

"Suit yourself," Kuroe says as his Set card flips upward to show Dark Magician launching a huge ball of purple and blue magic at a distant foe. "I guess I'll have to force you into submission with the Dark Magic Attack Spell Card! Since I control a 'Dark Magician', this card destroys all of your Spell and Trap Cards!"

"NO!" I scream, but it is too late. Dark Magician raises his staff and summons a sphere the same color as on the Spell Card, the energy arcing in bursts of digital lightning. With a grunt, he heaves the sphere towards me: Ken dives out of the way as my Set Card is obliterated by the magic projectile.

"Next," Kuroe continues as he activated the final card in his hand, a Spell showing a strange book with metal clasps and a pair of white feathers above a green jewel. "I play the Equip Spell Magic Formula! This gives Dark Magician 700 extra ATK Points! What's more, when this card is sent to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points!" The same book suddenly appears before Dark Magician, who smiles before opening it to a certain page as green energy flows into his staff and empowering it further **(ATK: 2500-3200)**.

"Battle!" Kuroe calls out once again. "Dark Magician attacks Ken! Dark Magic Attack!" The magician lowers his staff for a moment before thrusting his free hand forward with open palm. The world's colors turn inverted, an intense wave of sound piercing my eardrums as Ken screams in agony before dissolving away **(Samuel: 2800–2000 LP)**. Everything returns to normal a few moments later but my ears still ring with the power of one of the oldest printed Duel Monsters.

"Ha! You're shaking in your boots!" Kuroe quickly points out the visible awe and/or terror on my face. "You're terrified of my monster! There's no way you can win now, so I'll end my turn here. Draw your last weakling card so I can close this little deal."

As those words reach my ears, the anger within my chest finally bursts free, filling my limbs with fire and adrenaline. I yell out a wordless cry as my mind focuses completely on defeating this opponent. He insults me as a Duelist, insults me as a weaker person, and insults the very King of Games by using his best monster for such selfish means! This can't go unchecked. This can't be allowed. But how can I stop him?!

'_Alright, Deck,_' I think to my Deck as I grasp its top card and close my eyes in concentration. '_I don't know how you fully work yet, but you've got me through every Duel so far. But this guy is worse than those Duelists; he treats cards as nothing more than tools for his own self – gain. Please, help me stop him. Help me save my friend. Help me WIN_!'

"DRAW!" I bellow as I draw for the turn, my arm stiffening as a tingle of joy runs through me. I look at the card from the corner of my eye and quickly see that it will help me win. All I have to do is let him think he has me beat…

"I Set one card facedown," I say with confidence. "Turn End."

**[ROUND 4] [Samuel: 2000 LP/Kuroe: 1500 LP]**

"THAT's it?! That's all you're going to do after yelling like a maniac?!" Kuroe howls with laughter as he draws his card for the turn, not even looking at it before motioning at Dark Magician. "If that's all you've got, then you're done! Dark Magician, finish this kid off! Dark Magic Attack!" The spellcaster quickly summons thrusts his hand forward again, the same sound from before reaching my ears. This time, however, the battlefield suddenly shakes as if in an earthquake. Then, before anyone can blink, the concrete below us and the offensive magical energy are suddenly sucked into a digital black hole! Kuroe shouts in surprise as the maelstrom expands across the field, a garbled cacophony of roars, growls and screams emerging from within its darkness.

"Trap Card," I yell at the top of my voice against the storm. "Singularity! Since you are attacking me directly, this card prevents all Battle Damage dealt and destroys one card you control for every 500 Life Points I would have lost! Even though you have less cards than damage, I can destroy as many as possible! Dark Magician, be free from this punk's tyranny!" The magician silently resists the pull of the anomaly but eventually falls into its grip, the tome also being sucked within the infinite blackness. As the legendary spellcaster vanishes into the darkness, the cards in my hand are flung from my grasp, each one glowing yellow before flying into the void. The storm then gives one final gurgle before it spits out the concrete to its former position.

"As a side effect of using Singularity," I finish with heaving breath at my earlier outburst, "You get to banish up to 3 cards from my hand: There were less than that number, so the rest of my hand was banished. However, you probably have nothing to play yourself, do you?" Kuroe huffs like a child, tears glimmering in his eyes before he nods curtly. A brief image of the tome appears by Kuroe as its final benefit occurs for its former user **(Kuroe: 1500 – 2500 LP)**.

"I draw." I draw a card to my empty hand, looking at it briefly before a smile appears on my face. "I Summon Rielle "Kit" Peddler in Attack Mode." The cyborg girl appears in a meditative state, but her eyes are locked on Kuroe's unlike when she had fought against Rally **(ATK: 1800)**. This brings a curious glance to my eye––is she aware of my earlier emotions, or was this a programmed appearance for her? Whatever the case, I grow happy at seeing her presence, her silent form a contrast to my earlier rage. Speaking of…

"Battle! Rielle attacks you directly! Transcended Termination!" The girl's hands spin like before, this time forming a digital spear instead of a sphere. The projectile proved as dangerous as a real spear, though, as Kuroe quickly finds out when said spear phases through his gut **(Kuroe: 2500 – 700 LP)**. "My turn ends there."

Kuroe silently draws another card, glancing at briefly before lowering his head in shame, probably still amazed that the legendary Dark Magician could be so easily destroyed. For the first time since I saw him, I feel a tinge of sorrow at this man––he's doing what he believed was important to survive. But, is such usage of power correct: I don't know for sure what code of morality was correct, but my gut is telling me his ideals are incorrect and false. Since my gut feelings have proven correct so far, I choose to continue this trust as Kuroe chooses to flip me the bird as a signal for me to take my turn. His field was still bare, completely open to my attacks.

Drawing my card whilst ignoring his final inappropriate gesture, I see Rielle turn her head towards mine, her left eye locking at mine as if in question of what to do. I nod with a smile with what I hope is the right answer, and am surprised to see her nod back before forming a second digital spear in her hands. One throw later and Kuroe fell to the ground with a spear through his side, a groan of pity or sorrow reaching my ears **(Kuroe: 700 – 0 LP) [DUEL END]**.

* * *

><p>Before I can move, my anger vanishes as a small wave of calm enters my mind. My eyelids flutter as I feel the tension in my limbs that my earlier rage had caused become apparent before draining away as if being washed by water.<p>

"_Be calm, Netrunner,_" I hear a young female voice say in my ears. "_Violence is not the answer. We shall help you as you have so asked, but we, in turn, ask that you remain at peace. Only then will you see our true power._" Dazed, I slowly look around me to find the source of the voice, noticing Rielle wearing the tiniest smile as her form returns to holographic nothingness. Turning back to Kuroe, I see him stand up and move to one side of the warehouse door behind him.

"I don't want to do this," he says with barely restrained anger, "but you've beaten me and my Deck's most powerful cards. I'll let you in to find your friend. If you see anyone along the way, though, you'll have to stop them yourself." A click reaches my ears as the warehouse door slides open, revealing a small room stacked with boxes along either side wall and a visible door at the far end. I take one last glance at Kuroe: He had kept such a strong attitude when falsely selling me a D-Wheel frame, he had probably been confident when Nervin had come to complain and he had thought of me to be weak when I boldly challenged me. But now, he just seems sad, like he's lost the purpose of his life and he has to find something else to be fully happy; I couldn't really tell.

I turn away with no further comment, my mind now focusing on finding Nervin and rescuing him from his captors. I feel ready to fight whatever else will stand in my way…

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, there's your Duel! Happy now?!<strong>

(Awkward silence from Jack) Well, it'll do for now. But it could have been better.

**It can ALWAYS be better! Can't you be more descriptive?! And that goes for all you readers, too. If you have a criticism with my work, EXPLAIN IT! Be detailed! The longer your explanation, the easier it will be for me to make it better for you! I NEED FEEDBACK, PEOPLE! (Heavy breaths while snorting fire)**

Alright, I'm going to leave for now. You... You just update when you can. (Gets into Wheel of Fortune Runner and races away)

**(Snort) Always DID think his attitude was too snooty for his own good. Now, once again, let me know what you think of the story so far, comments and REASONABLE criticisms are allowed. I should go before I get too angry with you.**

**Draconos is taking off...to clear his mind!**


	5. C5: Rescue Mission! The Deadly Dragon!

**Alright ... hey guys. I've had some time to think over my emotions in last chapter's A.N, and I realize I've been a little harsh with you all considering feedback since the chapter reformatting. **

**Some of the previous readers have chosen not to review later chapters; I guess you all are just moving on to other stories, and that's fine. We ARE writers here, after all...**

**I guess I was harsh because I just wanted some more review/criticism/participation from you all, especially considering my work load preventing me from updating quickly. I now realize that I can't do that without provoking SERIOUS problems for my reputation as a writer on this site. So, I'm VERY SORRY for all that.**

**Jack has left (probably a good idea), so it's just me here for this Chapter's Questions. There weren't many...**

_Unidentified Guest: About the lack of a Dark Magician in Kuroe's Deck, I am following the OFFICIAL DECK LISTS for the Stardust Accelerator characters in these Duels. I am checking both Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia and an official FAQ of the game for these Decks. Both of them listed Dark Magician as a monster in the Deck, so that's why that's there._

_Unidentified Guest: Thanks for the continued love! I do hope you'll continue enjoying the story!_

**That's all for the Questions. Let's drop the usual DISCLAIMER: **The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC and duel deck.

**Onward to the Chapter!**

* * *

><p>I weave between piles of boxes scattered around the warehouse floor, a mixture of fear and joy racing through me. The former is for what else I'll have to face before I am able to rescue Nervin from this gang's clutches, while the latter is considering my prior victory over Kuroe's Deck. The anger from before has completely faded—I suspected this to be Rielle's doing because of the calming sensation that had occurred, but my mental logic said this idea was impossible. A Duel Monsters card shouldn't be able to speak in the human tongue, and especially shouldn't have psychic control over human emotions.<p>

But what had happened back there … when Rielle seemingly spoke to me without actually 'speaking' … my heart is saying that was real. An internal conflict begins to form inside me, making me lose my concentration and walk right into the closed door at the end of the warehouse floor.

Rubbing my nose from the impact with a hiss of pain as the conflict vanishes into my subconscious memory, I quickly open the door and see a stairway on the left side of a smaller chamber with a few more crates. The stairway seems rusty but stable to my eye, a single window at the upper level letting sunlight in and revealing a large amount of dust particles floating in the air. As I enter, closing the door behind me as silently as possible, my eyes quickly lock on a man sitting as if asleep by the bottom of the stairs, his head down and arms across his chest.

A Duel Disk like all the others I have seen in Satellite so far was attached to his left arm. The chair he leans back against is a simple plastic chair with mild cushioning; nothing special to be seen. His clothing and hairstyle match Kuroe's to the fabric design and gel placement, save for the dark blue hair dye that replaces Kuroe's blond. I close the door as silently as I can and move towards the stairs with quiet steps.

Unfortunately for my lucky streak, the wailing of a nearby siren snaps the man awake just as I am about to pass his chair. We stare at each other for the briefest of moments before he snaps upright and charges at me with raised fists. I jump back and hold my arms for a potential fistfight, only to have him pause before he reaches me.

"What's someone like you doing here?" he asks angrily. "This is our ground!"

"Kuroe let me in from his post at the door," I explain as calmly as I can under the circumstances. "Your leader is 'speaking to' a friend of mine named Nervin here. Nervin had come complaining about a D-Wheel we bought from you guys; I'm here to get him out of your clutches."

"Oh, you mean the guy with dreadlock-styled hair and kooky glasses? Yeah, he came by here with complaints about some D-Wheel. You're friends with him, eh? Well, you can't see him now: Our leader is giving him a thorough talking-to. You can speak to him through me, Ida; I'm the second-in-command of our turf."

"Then let me you warn him through you that I am not leaving here without Nervin," I warn with narrowed eyes. "Now let me pass so I can get him back with his friends."

"Hey, I'm trying to be nice here!" Ida says sharply. "If you aren't going to leave nicely in return, then I'll have to beat you down in a Duel!" He readies his Duel Disk and stands braced for battle. I look at him for a moment before I laugh out loud, readying my own Disk in response.

"How do you think I got past Kuroe?" I respond with what I hope is a dark grin as we both draw our initial hands. "Bring it on!"

"DUEL!"

* * *

><p><strong>[DUEL BEGINS] [ROUND 1] [Samuel: 4000 LPIda: 4000 LP]**

"Get ready, Ida!" I call as I draw my first card, confidence brimming inside me. "I Set a monster face-down! And…that'll do it."

"That's it?" Ida questions as he draws for his turn. "I've seen better moves in my sleep! Here's a move for you! I Summon Spear Dragon in Attack Mode!" A cry sounds through the room as a dragon with large blue wings, small feet, blue scales and a white underbelly swoops onto the field. Two tiny purple eyes glare at me as it raises its obscenely speared nose and mouth threateningly in my direction **(WIND, Dragon, 1900 ATK/0 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"Battle!" Ida says with a grin. "Spear Dragon, attack his Set monster! Piercing Pounce!" The dragon shrieks before leaping into the air and diving towards my field. The Set card image morphs into the image of a digital keyhole, glowing red as it turns solid. A _prang_ echoes across the field as the dragon's force is repelled by a superior Defense **(DEF: 2100)**, the beast flying back to Ida's field and sprawling on the ground. Ida's jaw drops slightly as he sees the attack fail, and then it rises back up in confusion as he notices the lack of Battle Damage being dealt.

"A small side-effect of the Keyhole Program," I explain at seeing his expression. "All Battle Damage dealt by and through it is reduced to 0. Consider yourself lucky." Ida frowns slightly at me as he seems to get the pun. "If I judge from your lack of surprise at the resolution of this Battle, Spear Dragon has an effect of its own."

"You're right," Ida responds as the mentioned dragon rises back to a standing position, shielding itself with its wings as it turns completely blue. "When Spear Dragon attacks, it switches to Defense Mode to protect my Life Points." I raise an eyebrow at the notion that his monster lacks any reasonable Defense at all **(DEF: 0)**, but I assume he has some sort of plan. "I'll Set a card face-down, and then activate the Spell Foolish Burial!" The image shows a hand with a shovel bursting out of a grave, possibly intent on freeing itself from its earthen confines.

"This card's simple enough for someone like you to understand," Ida says with a cheeky smirk as I frown at his attitude. "I simply send a monster from my Deck to my Graveyard, shuffling my Deck afterwards." Ida quickly selects the desired monster from his Deck, dropping it into the Graveyard slot. "I'll end my turn here."

**[ROUND 2] [Samuel: 4000 LP/Ida: 4000 LP]**

"Our fields seem relatively similar," I comment as I draw for the turn, scanning my six cards for strategies. My eyes catch a familiar face, filling me with confidence as I see a good play in mind. "I Summon Rielle 'Kit' Peddler in Attack Mode!" The android girl emerges from cyberspace in the same position as always, her eyes closed as if in concentration **(ATK: 1800)**.

"Keyhole's effect," I announce with a smile. "During my Main Phase 1, I can select another monster I control with the lowest ATK, and that monster can attack your Life Points directly. Since Rielle is the only other monster, she'll be the target!" Rielle's eyes open as she stands upright before walking behind Keyhole. The program changes to a clear white and unlocks itself like a door with the correct key.

"Battle! Rielle attacks you directly! Transcended Termination!" Rielle quickly dives into Keyhole, vanishing from sight. A second later, a white flash appears beside Ida before Rielle appears and slams a digital spear into his Duel Disk. The spear phases through the Disk and causes sparks to fly **(Ida: 4000-2200 LP)**. Before either of us can blink, Rielle is back on my field and Keyhole has returned to its original color.

"Since I just dealt you Battle Damage, I Special Summon the Tuner Monster Expert Schedule Analyzer in Attack Mode through its effect!" The silhouette of a digitized human head flashes before six digital human heads of different ages and all wearing futuristic goggles appear on my field, each pair of goggles flashing with the arrival of new data **(LIGHT, Program/Tuner, 1600 ATK/1000 DEF, LVL 4)**. I see Ida swallow and step back slightly as all the heads turn to face him—was he that freaked out by this card? Shaking my head slightly to clear this question from my mind, I focus on the Duel at hand with an intimidating wave of my hand.

"Analyzer," I call out. "Attack Spear Dragon! Analyzed Assault!" The heads rise as one and charge towards the beast, flying in a circle around it while shooting beams of light from their goggles. In a matter of seconds, the dragon cries out in pain before bursting into pixels, the heads returning to my field with goggles flashing again at the victory. Ida still looks freaked out to my eye, but I pay it no major interest as I continue with my turn.

"I Set two Spell and Trap Cards face-down," I finish. "It's your -" Before I can finish, Ida presses a button on his Duel Disk, revealing his Set card to be a Trap. The picture shows a medieval suit of armor at the end of a long, dark corridor: The armor seems to be glowing with a noble light the longer I stare at it.

"At your End Phase, I activate the Continuous Trap Card Birthright!" Ida says with happiness that confuses me. "This lets me Special Summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

"Wait," I cut in with a confused expression on my face. "The only monsters in your Graveyard are Spear Dragon, which is an Effect Monster, and..." Then I blanch as I realize I was missing something important. "Wait…"

"That's right!" Ida finishes with a wild grin. "The card I sent to the Graveyard with Foolish Burial was a Normal Monster! And not just ANY Normal Monster, but a rare card that was first shown off in Battle City! I said I'd have to beat you the hard way, and here's the proof that I can! I Special Summon the mighty RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!"

An ancient roar echoes off the walls as the suit of armor steps down the corridor, breaking apart at the plates as two large black dragon wings burst into view. The rest of the suit falls apart quickly afterward; The hands reveal claws gleaming like diamonds, the feet becoming four-toed and inhumanely large, the wings surging to massive size as a scaled chest shatters the armor holding it back. The helmet is burned to a crisp as a black dragon head comes into view, black and red flame surging from its mouth as it stands to a height of almost touching the room's high ceiling. Two red eyes gaze at me with a predatory nature, as if I were just the next meal for it to consume and not worth the challenge of an actual fight **(DARK, Dragon, 2400 ATK/2000 DEF, LVL 7)**.

"Give me a break!" I yell out in anger at the circumstances and to not show my fear at the beast before me. "First Kuroe with the Dark Magician, now you with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon! What's next, your leader having the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and completing this trio of rare card collectors?!" The aforementioned dragon growls sharply at this remark; tufts of smoke menacingly rise from its nostrils as Ida also glares at me like I was a commoner addressing an individual of higher class.

"So what if we have rare cards in our Decks," Ida responds with a calmer tone than mine. "We got them by any means we could to survive, as is the code for everything here in Satellite!"

"In that case," I quickly question, "Why do you even want to live here? If everyone's piggybacking or stealing from someone else, it doesn't make anyone better. Rather, the whole society will be flung into chaos from all this crime and petty theft! Why don't you leave here and find somewhere better to live?" Ida laughs long and loud for several seconds upon hearing this, but I easily hear sarcasm with his laughter, causing the anger I had felt against Kuroe to start boiling again in a clenched fist. I am briefly distracted by seeing Rielle turn her head slightly towards me with a glaring eye, a frown and a small shake of her head. Before I can fully notice it, she returns to her normal posture as if nothing was out of place.

"You can't just LEAVE Satellite!" Ida says with amazement at my apparent stupidity. "No one here has a permit to do so, which is required to enter Neo Domino from Satellite. If you tried otherwise, those 'Sector Security' goons would catch you up and lock you away for good! And no one here can afford that, so we do with what we can make and what we can take from the weak. We deal with the scrap the people of Neo Domino leave behind. Speaking of, I'll be taking control of this Duel and dealing with you as well!"

**[ROUND 3] [Samuel: 4000 LP/Ida: 2200 LP]**

Ida draws his card for the turn, looking at it and his other three cards before laughing again. I feel a shiver run down my spine as I try and hypothesize what type of card he may have drawn. I am shown a moment later: A Spell Card is activated showing the image of a knight and a dragon on opposite sides of a grid, their souls being pulled out of their bodies and moving to the other creature's side.

"I activate Soul Exchange!" Ida explains. "This card allows me to Advance Summon a monster from my hand by sacrificing YOUR monsters! Sure, it costs me my Battle Phase this turn, but it'll be well worth it to have two mighty beasts on the field! I sacrifice Keyhole and Rielle 'Kit' Peddler to Advance Summon my other powerhouse, Felgrand Dragon!" Red-Eyes steps to the side as another draconic roar is heard. Rielle and Keyhole flicker like television static before I see ghostly versions of them flying out of their bodies and swirling together on Ida's field. A moment later, a dragon with a golden upper body and a silver lower body appears alongside Red-Eyes and shining with a royal glimmer, its silver lower jaw juts from its mouth hungrily in my direction **(LIGHT, Dragon, 2800 ATK/2800 DEF, LVL 8)**.

Before this new dragon can move, a warning alarm blares as several orange beams of light impact the dragon's body, locking it in place. It roars in protest but fails to break free despite its best efforts as an armed soldier wearing covert operations combat gear appears on my field looking at a large orange display panel.

"Counter Trap Card," I shout out against the dragon's cries. "Cyber Threat! Since you just Summoned a monster, you must pay Life Points equal to its LVL times 400 to prevent its destruction. Since your dragon is a LVL 8, you must pay 3600 Life Points, a total you can't currently reach!" Ida growls in anger as a large "X" appears on the soldier's display panel, the man looking at Felgrand and pointing sharply at the dragon just before it is shot apart by several well-placed sniper rounds to the head, chest, wings and legs. Its death cry makes Red-Eyes screech back at me, clearly pissed off to see a fellow dragon fall so easily.

"Also," I continue with a smile, "your Soul Exchange card prevents you from attacking this turn, so you can't harm my Analyzer or my Life Points." Ida looks at the multiple heads in disgust before his smile returns, quickly activating another card from his hand bearing the image of a large reptile's foot crushing a village and cracking the ground beneath.

"I can still clear your field with this Spell: Stamping Destruction! Since I control a Dragon-Type monster, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card you control AND deal you 500 Points of Damage! Red-Eyes, stomp out his field and his hopes of victory!" The dragon leaps across the battlefield, wings flapping once before crashing down on my Set card, crushing it underfoot and knocking me to the floor. The air flies out of my lungs as I feel pain along my back from the impact **(Samuel: 4000-3500 LP)**. I gasp for oxygen, stunned for a few seconds as Red-Eyes flies back to its owner's field. My ears are ringing so hard, I barely hear Ida ending his turn and mocking my position before him.

I slowly stand back up, my body shaking slightly as a growl from Red-Eyes reminds me of its intimidating presence. I silently draw for turn with shaking hand, eyes closed in concentration similar to how I had felt when against Kuroe and his Dark Magician. I finally look at it with my right eye, but my head explodes with pain as a memory starts trickling back…

* * *

><p>…"Every warrior has to earn their choice of weapon,<em>" A man says to me from beyond my vision. "<em>Sword, spear, throwing star, dagger, the list goes on forever. It all depends on how the person wishes to identify themselves in combat._" As my vision brightens, I see myself from the third person in some sort of training ground, a man in red and white samurai armor and curved sword in hand standing in front of me. His face is shrouded in shadow, confusing me for a moment before I see the sword turns into a collected mass of digital particles that fuse together to make a double-bladed axe. This offers greater confusion than this man's identity: Who was this man, and how could he just morph things to his will?_

"So, if every person has a preferred weapon,_" I hear the memory of myself speak, "_Anyone who chooses to become a warrior will be given a weapon? Then, what's mine? I've been training under you, so I do get one, right? Is it flashy? Heavy? What is it, Beta?!_"_

"Patience is something else the warrior has to earn,_" the man responds in a scolding tone, making the memory me pout and turn away. The shadowed man sighs heavily before placing on hand on 'my' shoulder. "_You have learned many things under me and your fellow brothers, but you will soon be entering a new world; one of evil and corruption, far worse than your birthplace. Our teachings won't help you survive every situation. And every situation, physical and mental, needs some form of weapon._"_

_As soon as the man says this, a smaller man wearing a red and white Japanese kimono appears from seemingly nowhere with a large silver case bound with golden locks. Taking the case, the armored man turns it towards my memory image, 'my' hands shaking as I open the locks. Inside the box, carefully placed in red tapestry, is a longsword gleaming with silver light and the sun's rays. The blade is sharpened to an extreme degree: As 'I' take it into 'my' hands with a practiced hold, the air around it seems to shimmer like a smooth stone skipping across the water's surface._

"This, we have decided, is your weapon,_" The man explains as the landscape starts breaking apart into a virtual grid. "_Use it well, and only when you feel you must. Remember, Epsilon, not everything is as it seems…_"_

* * *

><p>…I groan as I return to reality, my ears roaring in time with my pounding headache. I don't think I was out for that long—the Duel remains the same, not having cancelled out or anything. Looking at the card, my eyes widen in complete surprise as the same blade from my memory is pictured on the card. But, how was that possible? The blade was a digital incarnation, not a real weapon drawn onto a card. Was it downloaded and placed, even though it was probably a complete program in its own right? And what was that about this being 'my weapon'?<p>

'_Only way to find out…_' I think to myself before I glare threateningly at Ida, ignoring Red-Eyes's short growl. "I Summon the Union Monster Gordian Blade in Attack Mode!" As I place the card on my Duel Disk, a sharp _crackle_ sounds before a sheathed longsword flashes into existence, floating vertically in midair to the Analyzer's left. Silently, the blade unsheathes itself from its confinements, instantly reflecting the room's light on its gleaming edges as it reaches several feet in length. Once fully revealed, the sheath vanishes as the revealed Gordian Blade quickly shifts into a striking position against Ida, moving like someone was invisibly holding it in their hand **(LIGHT, Program/Union, 2000 ATK: 1000 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"Gordian Blade's effect," I crack a grin similar to Ida's former one as I begin explaining this weapon's powers. "Once per turn, I can Equip it to another Program, Avatar, Human or Machine-Type monster I control as an Equip Spell Card: I choose Analyzer to be Equipped in this way. While Equipped, the monster's ATK is doubled!" Ida blanches as both my monsters glow with a white aura, the Blade floating upright and to the front of the Analyzer heads. A digital hand extends from one of Analyzer's heads, grabbing the weapon and twirling it around with expert skill and finesse **(ATK: 1600-3200)**.

"Analyzer, attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Synchronized Slash!" The heads move unified once again, the head with connecting hand leading the charge. Red-Eyes shoots a stream of black and red fire at them, but the heads dodge the attack with ease, flying in a circle around the dragon and distracting it with yellow laser blasts from their goggles. While Red-Eyes tries to incinerate the multiple enemies around it, the sword-wielding head surges forward at the dragon's chest, arcing the Gordian Blade up before curving down through Red-Eye's chest. A piercing screech rings in both our ears as the dragon's body slides apart like butter after a hot knife slices through it. Before any blood can spill, the dragon bursts into black flames and vanishes, Ida clutching his chest as the Battle Damage hits him hard **(Ida: 1800-1000 LP)**. Analyzer returns to my field, Gordian Blade not seeming damaged or stained in the slightest from the attack.

"No way," Ida murmurs in shock, similar to how Kuroe felt when Dark Magician had been destroyed. "How can you defeat a rare monster like that so easily? Don't you know what I went through to get it?!"

"You said you did 'whatever it took' to get it," I quickly respond with a countering smirk. "You ALSO said that, in order to survive, you had to make do with everything you could make or take. In this case, I 'made' a better combination of cards than yours: I'd say that's fair play by your standards." Ida grits his teeth as his eyes light up with rage at my attitude. However, he HAD been like that to me before he knew the extent of my Dueling skill, so turnabout, in my eyes, would be a fair and effective play. "I'll end my turn with a Set Card: go ahead."

**[ROUND 4] [Samuel: 3500 LP/Ida: 1000 LP]**

Ida sharply pulls off the top card of his Deck, looking at it as if it gave him a fighting chance. "I Set a monster in Defense Mode," he says as the enlarged card frame appears on his field. "That's it."

"That's all?" I question in Ida's tone of voice from earlier in the Duel as I draw. "That wasn't much of a move at all! Let me show you a REAL move! I'll unequip Gordian Blade from Expert Schedule Analyzer, Special Summoning it in Attack Mode!" The weapon releases itself from Analyzer's grasp, the digital hand vanishing to wherever it had come from **(Analyzer: 3200-1600 ATK) (Gordian Blade: 2000 ATK)**. Ida frowns but doesn't break down before this, even though it looks like he'll lose no matter what. Maybe it was that Set monster that had him so cocky and confident he didn't put up any additional defenses to his Life Points.

'_In that case…_' I think with a dark laugh of my own. "Let's end this with a bang, shall we? I tune together my LVL 4 Gordian Blade with my LVL 4 Expert Schedule Analyzer!" Ida steps back in apparent suprise as my two monsters fly upwards and begin the Tuning process, four of Analyzer's heads turning into green rings as Gordian Blade becomes a line of four white stars. As green light surges through the rings and stars, the chant from before returns to my lips, only this time I say it with confidence…

"_Fuueru, saiba supeesu no subte! Tome rare nai ikari no furagumento ga tanjou! Shinkuro Shokan! Gouon, meiou haadesu no haden!_"

In a blinding flash of red—and—black light, Hades Shard appears on my field, its form seeming more immaterial than crystallized this time. I stare in surprise as several ghostly faces appear for moments within the crystal or within the immaterial mist before vanishing again. From the corner of my eye, I see Ida's face turn white as my Synchro Monster quietly growls at it with enough resonance to rattle the windows and ground beneath us **(ATK: 3000)**.

"Hades Shard's effect," I explain while trying to sound confident in the face of such intimidation. "When it attacks a monster in Defense Mode, it deals Piercing Damage equal to the difference of its ATK and your monster's DEF points. What's more, its second effect doubles all Battle Damage it deals, including Piercing Damage! This is the end!" Ida stumbles back in fear as Hades Shard utters a draconic roar similar to Red—Eyes's battle cry earlier, rising up slightly as its pieces begin to morph into a new form.

"Hades Shard," I shout while pointing at Ida's lone defense, "Attack his Set Monster and end this Duel! FRAGMENTED APOCALYSE!" The shard utters a banshee—like cry as its form shatters into several jagged shards of red—and—black crystal, each one housing an ethereal face frozen in perpetual terror or pain. At an unseen command, the pieces dive towards Ida's monster, revealing it to be a crouched dragon with a metal mask over its face and wings shielding its body **(DEF: 1100)**. Each shard impacts the ground with what sounds like an atomic bomb, bursts of light and flame engulfing the dragon and Ida whilst shaking the ground like we were in the midst of a natural disaster.

The dragon and Ida scream in pain: the former is utterly obliterated by superior ATK strength, while the latter is flung hard against the wall. Red mist and black crystal pieces emerge from each shard, faint howls heard as the constrained emotion within each piece is released from its prison. When the mist clears, I see Ida lying out cold on the ground, luckily not being injured severely from the blasts. Hades Shard gives a final roar of triumph before disappearing itself **(Ida: 1800-0 LP) [DUEL ENDS]**

* * *

><p>Walking quickly to Ida, I shudder as I realize that I had caused this much pain to be dealt on another person. Something inside me is saying this is right, that it is an equal dealing of power and justice since he has done so much wrong, but a larger part is confused as to why this is happening. And it is all with that one card—<em>Hades Shard<em>—one of my Synchro Monsters.

Why is it able to cause so much destruction and chaos whenever it is Summoned? For that matter, why is it so _loud_? Actually, now that I think about it, there are several cards in my Deck that are either expressive or vibrant in their actions. A clear example is Rielle, considering what had happened at the end of the Duel with Kuroe. Hades Shard is a strong second, being so…_expressive_ whenever it got the chance to be Summoned in a Duel. How many others were there in my Deck like this?

A groan from Ida reminds me of my current situation, and that I had a friend to rescue. Stepping past Ida's prone form, I race up the stairs and quickly move across the old wooden platform above. Stumbling slightly, I very quickly reach a metal door that had probably led to the manager's office when this warehouse had been active.

'_Hang on, Nervin,_" I think as I throw the door open with as much intimidation as possible, "_I'm almost there!_"

* * *

><p><strong>And Samuel's quest continues!<strong>

**As usual, please review, comment and/or criticize as you please. If you wish to offer suggestions to the story or improvements on Dueling sections, please do so! Otherwise, just enjoy; That's all I ask for, really. (Heavy sigh of tension)**

**With Jack gone, I guess I'll have to find a new associate to help me with these notes. Guess I should start looking...**

**Draconos is taking off!**


	6. C6: Rescue Mission! The Jawless Jars!

**And... we're back! I know this chapter has been long since overdue; a month without posting a new chapter can be FAR too long for updates!**

**The work the past few weeks has been keeping me busy, but a break will be coming up soon (I think a week or so from now). Hopefully, I'll be able to get out some more chapters for you all. Then again, there will probably be some extra work over this break, so I'll have to prioritize what's better to accomplish. Such is the pain of a writer...**

**Oh, one other thing! It seems my story still has interest to you all, despite my lack of updates. 4 new followers in the space of about a month! This is impressive, and deserves gratitude on your part for choosing to read my work. So, thanks a lot!**

**Now to the reviews/questions! There's only one big one this time...**

_Unidentified Guest: About Dueling Officer Trudge in the pipeline, I like the idea, but there is something I want to clarify. Do you mean the scene like in the anime, where Yusei Duels Trudge in the trash pipeline while trying to escape Satellite? The reason for this question is that, in the game's official story mode, there is a scene where the player races away from Trudge while drawing the officer away from Rally. This is after Rally gives the player a computer chip for his/her D-Wheel, and is accused of theft by Sector Security. _

_I know this scene takes place on the Old Highway and streets of Satellite, but it IS another encounter with Trudge. Would you want this to be a Riding Duel, or just a simple race to escape and have the pipeline escape be the REAL Riding Duel? Please let me know!_

**Alright! That should offer up some interesting story opportunities (and more work for me probably (groan))! Anyway, let's drop the usual disclaimer and we can get started: **The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC and duel deck.

**Oh, one MORE thing. This chapter has a few swear words dropped in; I'm using them to add some form of depth to the characters (or something like that). Be on the lookout for them, and you have been warned!**

**And ONE MORE THING! I've chosen to add a bit more to the [ROUND] indicator, tracking the cards in hand as well as Duel-specific things (you'll see why when you see the Duel). Let me know what you think, as well as if any more should be added.**

**Onward to the Chapter!**

* * *

><p>The <em>slam<em> of the door I open releases a cloud of dust into a smaller room than the two-floored room I have just passed through. Sunlight filters through a larger set of windows as the cloud dissipates from view, revealing an empty room, save a large table with what looks like a map on top and two tattered purple lounge chairs of fading quality. My arrival caused something to stumble farther inside, my eyes requiring a moment to fully adjust to the additional light.

Once I see clearly enough, I notice two things of interest. The first is Nervin, tied up and bruised around the face, his glasses barely hanging on his face as he leans heavily against a wall next to a large window. The second is the man standing in front of him, looking eerily similar to Kuroe and Ida except for his blue vest in contrast to Kuroe's green and Ida's red. The same type of Duel Disk hangs on his left arm, just like Kuroe and Ida had used.

His expression is also similar to theirs when they first saw me; surprise mixed with amusement due to their apparent superiority. Nervin blurts out a sound as he sees me, his words being unintelligible due to his lip being swollen from a well-placed punch.

"Well," the man comments smugly as he stands upright and faces me. "Who do we have here? Are you this 'friend' that my good pal Nervin here has been talking about?"

"Yeah, I'm his friend," I respond with an angry stare. "and I'm getting him out of here and away from you guys before you hurt him anymore."

"Is this about the D-Wheel you bought from us?" The man speaks nonchalantly despite my visible anger, making me clench a fist. "Look, I understand if you don't like being copped out of a deal like that, but try thinking about it from my perspective as a leader. Me and my gang need food, water, shelter and money if we want to stake out a living here. We have to go and do—"

"Whatever it takes," I butt in before he finishes. "I've already heard this philosophical crap from Kuroe and Ida, who I take it are the rest of your 'gang'. Actually, can you really consider a group of three people a 'gang'? It sounds more like a small gathering, or an extremely specific fan club, am I right? Rather silly, if you ask me."

"You cocky son of a bitch!" The man laughs despite the insults, confusing me as to how well he is accepting what I'm saying. "You've got a head full of big words there! But, can you fight as well?"

"How the heck do you think I got past Kuroe at the door and Ida in the last room?" My question is mixed with a raised eyebrow that shows my inner confidence at so simple a question. "They doubted me and my Deck, and they paid the price in simulated damage. Now step away from Nervin, or the same will happen to you."

"There's a reason Kuroe and Ida work under me, you know," the man says while moving towards me slowly. "Now, you have two options; either you back off this violence or I will make sure you leave here with a tribute of blood and broken bones!"

The sharp _crack_ of Kuroe's knuckles as he says this brings my heart up to my throat, but I forcefully swallow to clear my throat as I step backward to the man's advances. I raise my Duel Disk upright as the thought of using it like a weapon flashes through my mind.

"If there's no other way to get Nervin out of here," I say while trying to not stutter out of fear, "then I challenge you to a Duel! I have just as much anger about the D-Wheel as Nervin does, and I won't back down from using force to state my claims!"

The man looks at me like I had grown a second head before laughing and raising his own Duel Disk. "Well, looks like you get your wish of a Duel! Be careful, though; there's a reason I, Kameno, am this gang's top dog!"

"DUEL!"

* * *

><p><strong>[DUEL BEGINS] [ROUND 1] [Samuel: 4000 LPKameno: 4000 LP]**

**[CARDS IN HAND: 5 (Samuel), 5 (Kameno)]**

"Superiority starts off!" Kameno calls out as he quickly draws out his hand plus one card. "I Set a Monster face-down! Then, I set a Spell or Trap face-down! That'll do for now." The card images appear silently, my suspicions rising as I see his expression remain collected.

'_He's playing defensively like Ida was,_' I think to myself as I silently draw my starting five cards plus one. '_Is he planning on going aggressive later on as well?_'

"Got nothing to say?" Kameno quickly catches onto my silence as some form of weakness. "Are you already in awe of my amazing Dueling skills?"

"Skill isn't the only thing that matters in a Duel," I counter as I place a card on my Duel Disk. "I Summon the Union Monster Gordian Blade in Attack Mode!" The digital sword glows in the additional light as it unsheathes itself against my opponent. Nervin looks on in wonder, while Kameno huffs without losing his cool **(ATK: 2000)**.

"Battle!" I shout in a rush of energy. "Gordian Blade attacks your Set Monster! Rippling Riposte!" The blade swings upward before whirling down at Kameno's defense, the weapon's surface rippling like water or liquid metal as it moves. A second passes before the defense reveals itself to be a small pink worm with needle-sharp spikes all over its body. The sword easily slices the insect apart **(DEF: 500)**, some of the spines firing from the body in its final death spasms and impacting my Duel Disk.

"You've activated my Needle Worm's effect!" Kameno says as his monster dissipates. "Now you have to send the top 5 cards of your Deck to your Graveyard!" I raise an eyebrow at the effect but comply, grabbing the top five cards of my Deck and placing them in the Graveyard slot. The Disk consumed them one by one like a hungry beast.

"I Set two Cards face-down as well," I finish up. "Your turn."

**[ROUND 2] [Samuel: 4000 LP/Kameno: 4000 LP]**

**[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 4 (Kameno)]**

**[SAMUEL'S DECK: 29 cards remaining]**

"You may have an impressive monster," Kameno says as he draws his card for turn. "But what can a powerful creature do if it is held down by superior forces? Here's an example; Continuous Spell Card, Messenger of Peace!" The card reveals an elderly man wearing simple brown robes, a purple cloak and a red sash with golden seals over his shoulders. The man then appears on Kameno's field with a solemn expression of nonviolence. A large halo of light shines from behind him, his left hand held upward with the palm facing me. A dove lands on his left shoulder as golden light shines over the battlefield.

"This card prevents any monster with 1500 ATK or more from attacking for the simple cost of 100 Life Points during each of my Standby Phases," Kameno explains. "In other words, you can't hurt me with brute force! With that in place, I'll just pass it on to your turn."

"So you plan to stall me out," I say with disdain as I draw for turn. "That's going to be more annoying than anything. And here I thought you would have a "super rare" card and complete this menagerie of thievery and selfishness. Are you acting lower than the people you are leading?"

"Hey, don't you start criticizing on my gang's methods," Kameno curtly replies despite a rumble of anger in his voice. "Like I've said, we do whatever we can to advance in Satellite. The fact that you've gone to injure my friends shows that you are also willing to hurt others to get what you want."

"We are NOT the same!" I shout back, my breath heavy as I try to keep my rage down. My heartbeat seems to increase as I feel the rage from before start to trickle back. I look at my hand for a few moments, trying to figure out a plan to break through Kameno's barrier. A plan starts to form, but it's a plan that requires a few bluffs on my part.

If Kameno has the kind of Deck I think he does, which will try to stall my attacks until some other victory condition is met, then I will need a few certain cards to work in combination. Naturally, there are several problems to this plan, most notably being one or more of the cards being sent to the Graveyard or somewhere else inaccessible. I check my hand one more time before going with what _seems_ like a plan.

"I Set one Monster face-down," I say with as much calmness as possible as the enlarged card back appears on my field. "No more, no less."

"I won't let you pass with just that!" Kameno shouts suddenly as his face-down card flips upward in activation, showing a knight falling into a hole of steaming acid. "Trap Card, Acid Trap Hole! Now your Set Monster is flipped face-up for both of us to see. What's more, if it's got 2000 or less DEF points, it's destroyed!" As Kameno explains, the floor below my Set Monster crumbles away, the stench of burning flesh hitting my nostrils like a sledgehammer as a large hold halfway filled with a bubbling green liquid is revealed.

My Set Monster flips itself upon reaction to the hole below it, revealing a red keyhole floating in midair. Just as it starts to fall, it flashes white light at a rapid pace, seemingly able to levitate above the hole with a superior force to digital gravity **(DEF: 2100)**. Kameno swears loudly at his plan being foiled by my monster having just 100 DEF points more than his card wanted. I just chuckle as my revealed Keyhole stays above the hole for a few more seconds before the trap vanishes and returns the floor to its original form.

**[ROUND 3] [Samuel: 4000 LP/Kuroe: 4000 LP]**

**[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 4, Kameno]]**

**[SAMUEL'S DECK: 28 cards remaining]**

"Well, it's not like you can do anything else to win," Kameno taunts as he draws for turn. Nervin glares at him but doesn't move from his position. "The first thing I'll do is pay 100 Life Points to keep Messenger of Peace activated," A dim yellow glow surrounds Kameno as he barely flinches from the loss **(Kameon: 4000-3900 LP)**. "Then, I'll activate the Spell Card Destruction! Here's how it works -"

"Actually," I interrupt with the flip of one of my face-down cards, "I'll see if a little Bribery will put a stop to that. Pay half of your Life Points or your card is negated and destroyed!" Kameno's mouth hangs open in confusion as an android in a well-dressed business suit appears on my field, the image of 'Card Destruction' on a holographic tablet he holds in one hand. The other hand is open in waiting acceptance of a large transfer of money—or Life Points, in this case. I flash a grin at Nervin as Kameno frowns while seemingly calculating his options.

"I'll pay up," he finally says with a loud moan of pain. A pinkish-red aura then travels from his body to the android's hand, appearing as a large pack of digital money **(Kameno: 3900-1450 LP)**. The android smirks at his fortune before walking off, my own grin rivaling the level of satisfaction of the digitalized character.

Nervin emits a small "Yeah!" at the current situation before his pain makes him clasp a hand over his mouth.

My grin vanishes in concern of Nervin's injury, but a sharp "Over HERE!" from Kameno draws my attention back to my opponent. The revealed 'Card Destruction' is on his field, showing a dark blue hand in an old robe reaching for a group of cards tumbling into an abyss.

"What Card Destruction does is simple," Kameno explains with a vengeful flash of his eyes. "We each discard our hands to the Graveyard, and then draw the same number of cards from our Decks. Now, was THAT so hard to allow?" I choose not to reply, both of us discarding three cards from our hands, and then drawing three cards. The Spell then dissolves away, Kameno looking at his hand with an elated expression that makes me shiver inside.

"Here's another Spell Card to add to the mix," He says with a smirk. "Nightmare Steel Cage! This card prevents either of us for attacking until 2 of my turns have passed!" As soon as Kameno says this, a loud _clang_ bounces off the room's old walls as an oval-shaped metal cage covers Kameno's field. The spikes pointing outward deter my hopes of getting through, the metallic pieces looking very sharp for digital images.

"You're putting yourself on lockdown?" I question Kameno's move despite my worry that he now has two more rounds to finish his goal. "Isn't that a bad move for someone who does what many would consider 'illegal activities'?" Nervin adds in a laugh, his hand moving back to his lip afterwards as a tear falls from his eyes—along with a drop of blood down his chin.

"Geez, you're just like the snobs at Neo Domino," Kaemeno responds while placing his right hand across half of his face in apparent disappointment. "It almost makes it seem like you migrated here from that city, just to come here and proclaim the 'right' way to Duel to us 'criminals'! I mean, get with the program, man! This isn't the city life!" A flash of confusion races through my mind as he says this, but it is quickly consumed by my current anger.

"Are you done?" I ask in a deadpan tone, to which Kameno waves his hand at me from behind his cage to go ahead. I grit my teeth behind closed lips as I draw for the turn, my anger not receding despite the growing concern that Kameno is getting closer to winning. Looking at my hand, my eyes widen at the sight of one card I need to break his plan now in my hand! But I can't play it now because of Kameno's cage blocking my attack. But if I can get it set up…

"I Set one card face-down," I say while placing the key card onto my Disk. "That's it, unless you have something else to do at my turn's end." The frown from Kameno indicates he does not, giving me silent relief.

**[ROUND 4] [Samuel: 4000 LP/Kameon: 1450 LP]**

**[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 2 (Kameno)]**

**[SAMUEL'S DECK: 24 CARDS REMAINING]**

"Let's get this over with," Kameno says with a persistent frown, drawing his card sharply. "I first pay 100 Life Points to keep Messenger of Peace active. I then Flip Summon Morphing Jar in Attack Mode!" A large, blue ceramic jar rises from the ground, the front end turning towards me and showing a black interior. As the Messenger draws his cost from Kameno **(Kameno: 1450-1350 LP)**, I jump back in surprise as a oozing black _head_ emerges from the jar's interior. A bloodshot red eye stares deeply into my own eyes as a mouth full of decaying yellow teeth cracks an insane grin before a sticky pink tongue dangles out as if the thing is about to lick my face **(EARTH, Rock, 700 ATK/600 DEF, LVL 2)**.

"This little guy's got a big special ability," Kameno explains as I continue to gaze into the Jar's wild eye, unable to look away. "We both discard our hands to the Graveyard, and then draw a fresh hand of 5 new cards." The Jar retracts its face within its ceramic body as a strange suction seems to draw the cards in our hands away from us. Digital images of each card are swallowed into the creature's maw, each image corresponding with a real card we discard.

A few seconds later, the jar gives a loud "BURP!" before showing its face again, the teeth more stained than before to mark its apparent consumption of our cards. I draw my 5 new cards with a deep shudder, freaked out by this monstrosity.

"Now that I've got a fresh hand," Kameno continues, "I can Set this Monster face-down. Your turn, and don't forget that my Nightmare Steel Cage still has one turn remaining."I am barely able to hear his words over the absolute fear in my brain over _that jar_. What the hell is so strange about it that is freaking me out? Is it the singular red eye? The card-stained teeth? The pink tongue? The fact that such a strange creature made its home in such a small jar? What is it?! I shouldn't be so frightened of a digital creature, should I?

I draw my card with a shaking hand and deep breath, my fears growing as I see no further pieces of my winning combo in my large hand. However, I see a few cards that could be set as bait in case Kameno has anything else up his proverbial sleeves. However, my mind was beginning to race with fear and worry that I might _actually lose this Duel_. What will happen to Nervin, then? What will happen to _me_?! Kameno and friends torturing the two of us until someone else got the guts to come rescue us? Would that be Yusei? But what if he doesn't come in time to save us?

Sweat starts to run down my face as I feel the fear within me spread across my body, shrouding my earlier anger and smothering it in choking darkness. I feel my throat start to lock up from the emotions, the rational side of me trying to hold them back. I raise my eyes at Kameno's, looking between the bars of his Cage with tears bubbling at the corners of my vision. He seems to blink in confusion before smiling at my apparent weakness.

"I Set one more card face-down," I say with shuddering voice. "That's it." Nervin's eyes widen in worry as Kameno raises an eyebrow but keeps his smile.

**[ROUND 5] [Samuel: 4000/Kameno: 1350 LP]**

**[CARDS IN HAND: 5 (Samuel), 4 (Kameno)]**

**[SAMUEL'S DECK: 18 CARDS REMAINING]**

"Seems like you're shaking in your shoes," Kameno comments as he draws for his turn. "Maybe you've come to realize that Dueling like this wasn't the best option, or are you just afraid of actually losing because of so few cards left in your Deck?" Nervin glares at Kameno but gets silenced with a raised fist before he can say anything to hamper my opponent's power. My anger attempts to shatter its constraints, but it is kept down by my continued fear of what Kameno has planned.

"Moving on," Kameno says as he looks over his hand. "It's time to set the stages for your defeat. First I'll pay the usual cost for my Messenger. Then, I activate the Spell Card The Shallow Grave! This lets us both Special Summon one monster from our Graveyards in face-down Defense Position. At least your field will be strengthened a bit more, not that anything you Summon can get through me." As Kameno's cost is paid **(Kameno: 1350-1250 LP)** and the card activates, a humanoid in a blue zombie skin climbs out of a gravestone that rises from the floor. Dark yellow eyes from within the skin's mouth glare at me with malice before the humanoid raises its hands upward, two more Set cards bursting from the floor like a zombie would crawl out of its unhallowed grave. My Set Monster could help me in my victory, but I wasn't sure about Kameno's…

"With that in place, I'll activate a Quick-Play Spell Card: Book of Moon! This flips my Morphing Jar face-down again, allowing its Flip Effect to activate if attacked. I'll set one more card face-down and end my turn: even with my Cage vanishing this turn, you're all but finished!" As Kameno finishes explaining, an ornate book appears above the frightening jar. The book is dark blue with twin etchings of Anubis, the god of embalmment and protector of the dead, facing a golden moon and orange eye. Above the moon is a large silver eye with orange pupil, hosting angelic wings and making a set of hieroglyphics at the bottom of the book glow with power.

The Jar's face thankfully retreats back into its body, quickly appearing as a Set Card that I did _not_ wish to let appear again. Another Set card appears on Kameno's field as the Cage suddenly rusts away into digital pixels, as if time had decided to accelerate its passing.

I draw a card, noting with fear how small my Deck was. It wouldn't be long before I couldn't draw any more cards. And that cursed Messenger was blocking just about every way I could deal Damage and win! I _need_ to find a way past it! I look at my hand, trying desperately to find a strategy that could Summon a Monster with small enough ATK to break through this barrier. I just need the right cards!

As I look at one card, a small _chitter_ makes me pause. Did a cricket get in here or something? I look around myself briefly while realizing that a cricket would be too small to see from this angle. Am I hearing things again, or is this another memory trying to make itself visible? Looking at the same card, my hands shiver as I realize that this card may be just what I need to win! Now, if I can just make use of it …

"I Summon Cyber Cypher in Attack Mode!" My voice seems to crack in my excitement as a mix between an eagle's cry and a cricket's chirp sounds from the air around me. A second later, a sharp buzzing is heard as what looks like a dog with the wings of a fly lands from above. The whole creature stands up to my waist, the wings giving it additional height up to my chest. Each leg is strengthened by metallic plating beneath the luminous skin that glows in the light. A skeletal tail wags back and forth in time with the thrum of its six wings shaped like an insect's would be. A visor covers its face, but my gut says that it is, somehow, happy to be here; maybe it's the light-hearted chirping it is emitting towards me **(WIND, Program, 2000 ATK/1200 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"What good will that do?" Kameno asks while raising an eyebrow at my new monster. "It has too many ATK points to get through my Messenger!"

"For now, at least," I mutter as I feel my voice rise with confidence. "Cyber Cypher's Effect! When it is Summoned, I must select one face-up Monster you control. That monster's original ATK is cut in half until it or the Cypher is destroyed. What's more, Cypher and that Monster can't attack each other as long as I control another monster."

"Did you really have to say all that?" Kameno quickly responds with a fresh glare on his face. "I don't have any face-up Monsters!"

"I know," I explain with a nod of my head, relishing in the fact he was oblivious to my plan. "If that's the case, then Cypher's original ATK is cut in half!"

"What?!" Kameno steps back slightly in surprise as Cypher begins chirping at a deeper frequency, its plates glowing red and wings thrumming at a slower pace. The visor lights up with two red eyes, echoing the single red eye of Morphing Jar from before **(ATK: 2000-1000)**

"I'm not finished yet," I continue as I flip my Set Monster upright, "I Flip Summon Snitch in Attack Mode, which you provided to me through that Shallow Grave Spell!" The familiar form of shifting yellow blocks reveals itself, shimmering in apparent delight at finally being used **(ATK: 1000)**. Kameno is glowering now, but I still see a shard of confidence in his eyes.

"But why stop there," I ask with sarcastic sadness. "Let's go for a full combo! I activate the Spell Card Demolition Run! With this, any time one of my Monsters would inflict Battle Damage to you, I can prevent it and destroy a card you control!" The Spell activates, showing a digital android screaming in agony as its head is blown apart by an unseen assailant. The image seems to reflect Kameno's current expression, his eyes wide with surprise. However, there was still that feeling of confidence, which irked me even with my combo going off so well.

"To finish off this combo sequence, I activate the Keyhole's first effect! This lets one of my monsters with the lowest ATK other than Keyhole attack you directly. I select Snitch as the target!" The yellow form begins to move more rapidly, shifting between multiple forms as the Spell Card's effects are applied. Before I can command my attack, a familiar hole appears on Kameno's field and a familiar card makes itself revealed.

"I won't let you win here," Kameno shouts in anger. "I can make just as powerful a combo play as you can! I use a second Acid Trap Hole on my own Set monster! This flips it face-up and activates its Flip Effect! Come on out, MORPHING JAR #2!" The fears of the first Morphing Jar are doubled with the appearance of this new monster. This one is also in a ceramic jar, but it is etched with curved red lines over a white surface. The face within makes me scream—the teeth are cleaner but surrounded by purple gums in an insane grin. And the eye: a bright-green sclera broken by an orange iris and pitch-black pupil that's _looking right at me_! **(EARTH, Rock, 800 ATK/700 DEF, LVL 3)**

"Morphing Jar #2's Effect," I barely hear Kameno explain through the blood in my ears, "This takes some explaining, so listen up! First, every monster on our field is shuffled back into our Decks." I cry out in surprise as the face emerges within its confines, more solid than its former version but just as creepy. As its tongue lolls out, every Monster on our fields shakes in place before melting into ooze that slides back into our Decks with an audible _slurp_ before our Disks automatically shuffle the Decks. What is most frightening to me is that Morphing Jar #2 also returns to Kameno's Deck, meaning it could very well return to cause the same havoc.

"Next," Kameno continues, "we each excavate, or reveal, cards from our Decks until we get a number of Monsters equal to the number of Monsters sent back to our Decks. All LVL 4 or lower Monsters excavated this way are Special Summoned face-down. Got all that?" I nod wordlessly as I begin flipping card after card to find 4 Monsters. I glance over at Nervin in worry, his face reflecting my inner turmoil.

Several seconds later, Kameno Sets two new Monsters face-down, discarding a few Spells and Traps to the Graveyard. I stop after seeing four Monsters as well, revealing them and Setting Keyhole and Bug. The two LVL 5 monsters, Ken "Express" Tenma and Laramy Fisk, are discarded with four other Spells and Traps. Tears glimmer in my eyes as I see Kameno's Acid Trap Hole finally be destroyed. How could he break my combo play like that? And if Morphing Jar #2 is Set again, he can just use it again to make me discard more cards from my Deck.

"I see you realize your futility," Kameno says with a laugh. "Now you see why I'm the leader of this gang. I have the brains to match my brawn and succeed in this wasteland. You may have good friends, but they can only get you so far. The only person you can really trust in this world is yourself!"

A scream emerges from my throat as I feel my vision go dark…

* * *

><p>… "Trust.<em>" I hear a male voice say from the blackness. "<em>It is a resource that must be carefully wielded._"_

_I blink, revealing a large room filled with office desks from beyond a reinforced glass window looking down from a floor above. Behind the window I see myself standing alongside an older man in a firmly-ironed business suit. His graying hair indicates his age, his silver eyes hard with cold determination. The silver device covering his right ear flashes a blue light as new data seems to be fed into it with every second. Further into the room is a large desk with lamp, telephone, digital notepad and holographic display all added: The desk of a company CEO. The large green "W" fully reveals the position this man has to me, that being one of great power._

"All these people are here,_" the man says to the other me with a wave of his hand, "_because they trust my company and what it can do for them. They are willing to work long hours doing certain tasks over and over again. They are willing to obey orders given by people of higher rank within the company without question. They are willing to sacrifice personal gain so that the company as a whole can advance. They are willing to do many things for this company, many things for _me_._"_

"Then what are they, Delta?_" I hear myself ask with a look at the man's face. "_Slaves? Because it seems like they are sacrificing a lot without a balancing benefit for themselves._" _

"No, they are not slaves,_" the man responds after a moment's pause. "_The job may seem like slavery to you, but this is a level of trust that the human psyche can give to another person. All these people want is to make a name for themselves in the smallest way possible, but they also want to remain in good standing with the world's laws. That's why they aren't out causing crimes on the streets or hooking their brains onto virtual servers and risking their lives for chaotic destruction._"_

"But, if they don't get enough benefits to justify their work, why do they work here?_" The man turns to the other me at this, an almost imperceptible smile crossing his features._

"Because, Epsilon, they don't trust themselves. You can't always trust yourself to do the right thing at the right time. Sometimes, you have to look at the broader picture, see who wields the power. If you get that person on your side, you can gain connections that can help you stay above water when thing go wrong._" My other self looks back at the crowd of workers, toiling away at their computers to complete minimal tasks for recognition that will always be beyond their reach._

"So,_" I hear myself say while trying to piece it all together, "_They do it so that they can get benefits when the time is right? They do it so, when they use the power they have, they can advance further for themselves?_"_

"Exactly, Epsilon,_" the man says with a wider smile. "_You are learning well …_"_

* * *

><p>… A choked gasp makes me open my eyes, revealing myself to be back in the warehouse. Nervin and Kameno are still here, the Dueling field the same as before. Nervin is about to stand up and walk over to comfort me, while Kameno just stares at me like I have a few screws loose in my head. Which, considering the nature of these flashbacks, I'm starting to think may be true …<p>

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn," I speak with a sudden calmness, my mind and body clear of my earlier fear. Kameno blinks in what looks like amazement or growing fear, Nervin smiling at my newfound determination.

**[ROUND 6] [Samuel: 4000/Kameno: 1250]**

**[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 2 (Kameno)]**

**[SAMUEL'S DECK: 15 CARDS REMAINING]**

"I'll draw!" Kameno says firmly as he does exactly that. "I'll pay 100 Life Points for Messenger of Peace." **(Kameno: 1250-1150 LP)** "Then, I'll Flip Summon my Morphing Jar #2 again to restart the cycle!"

"That will NOT happen without a price! I activate my Cyber Treat Counter Trap!" I say as calmly as possible towards Kameno as the same soldier from the previous activation appears, the digital pad showing the image of Kameno's ace monster. "You have to pay 400 Life Points for each LVL your Jar has, or it is negated and destroyed! Since Morphing Jar #2 is a LVL 3, you have to pay 1200 Life Points, which you can't achieve because of your Messenger's cost!"

"NO!" Kameno yells out in anger as another Set card on his field flips upright. "I won't let you stop me! Activate Counter Trap Card: Solemn Judgment! This negates your card for the price of half of my Life Points." A white glow makes Kameno bend forward in pain as an old, bearded man flanked by two women wearing white robes and halos appear on the field. The man raises a hand towards the surprised soldier, causing a bolt of lightning to incinerate him where he stands. The man and women ascend upwards and through the room's ceiling, seemingly on the path to heaven **(Kameno: 1150-575 LP)**. My eyes turn back to Morphing Jar #2 as it gazes at me once again, its expression never changing.

Without a word, both of us return our two Monsters back to our Decks, shuffle and begin another excavation process. I end up Setting Expert Schedule Analyzer and Cyber Cypher, Kameno gladly Setting two Monsters. I discard three Spell and Trap Cards along the way, Kameno discarding four.

"That's all I got," Kameno says with another flourish of his hand, "But that's all I need to win. Next turn, you're finished!"

'_He's probably right,_' I think to myself as I draw from my ever-dwindling Deck, '_If I don't get the right play here and now, I'm fini-'  
><em>  
>I stop as a familiar Spell catches my eye, one of the last Spell and Trap cards in my Deck. The image of Ken "Express" Tenma, or one of his cloned copies, racing along the city skylanes on a hoverbike makes me smile widely, far too widely to not be noticed.<em><br>_

"What the hell's got you so happy, huh?!" Kameno is quick to question my emotional change while Nervin looks on more happy for my happiness than anything else. I wink at Nervin before continuing with my turn.

"You know," I say without losing my smile, "Your theory isn't correct all the time. Sometimes, you can trust others as much as yourself. After all, it was my trust in Nervin and making things right with our Duel Runner that gave me the strength to get through Kuroe and Ida. And it's that same trust that will help me defeat you!"

Kameno grits his teeth as Nervin adds in a "That's right!" to boost my confidence further.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Kameno sharply responds. "In case you've forgotten, I still have a defensive wall up that you can't break through. And next turn, I'm going to mill out the rest of your silly Deck and prove that I'm the better Duelist!"

"That's why I'm winning here and now! I Flip Summon Cyber Cypher and Expert Schedule Analyzer!" The two programs appear on my field, Cypher chirping once again as its effect changes its ATK **(Analyzer: 1600 ATK) (Cyber Cypher: 2000-1000 ATK)**. "Now for the finishing blow! I activate the Spell Card Early Bird! Now I select Cyber Cypher to attack you directly and twice this Battle Phase!"

Kameno lurches back in surprise similar to his other gang members as Cypher chitters fast enough to sound like it's growling at Kameno. The blond punk Duelist looks through his hand and field to find a solution, but his widening eyes and agonized expression tell me that he has no more defenses to protect himself.

"This is the end!" I shout with a raised fist and a maniacal chortle. "Cyber Cypher, attack Kameno directly! Corrosive Claw!" The program suddenly barks like a wolf before leaping across the field and over Kameno's Set monsters. The Messenger of Peace dodges to one side as his dove flies away from the attack. Kameno can only shield himself with his Disk as Cypher crashes onto his body, digital claws as sharp as razor blades tearing through the device. Kameno's shout of pain fills me with a fiendish delight, Cypher continuing to claw away and leaving a few scratches on Kameno's Disk to mark the victory **(Kameno: 575-0 LP) [DUEL ENDS]**

* * *

><p>As Kameno falls to the ground, Cypher barks one last time before it and the rest of the field vanish into cyberspace. I immediately race over to Nervin's position, cries of, "Are you alright?" and, "How bad are you hurt?" racing from my mouth without pause.<p>

Nervin holds me back with a raised hand, a thumbs-up indicating that he is fine. He holds the other hand tightly over his mouth, a few drops of blood dripping onto the ground.

"Even if you feel fine, you still shouldn't have just run off like that!" I quickly chastise without meaning to. "Look at what I had to go through to rescue you! Speaking of," I pause while looking at Kameno, who is shaking his head on the floor like he had seen a ghost. "We should probably get out of here before old Jar-opener over there wants a rematch."

Nervin agrees with a firm nod as the two of us get up and race out the same door I had come through, quickly going through the other two rooms before emerging back into the sunlight outside the warehouse.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, I sit on the old couch back at Yusei's home, the Duelist just returning from testing his D-Wheel again. We had returned to find Rally, Tank and Blitz anxiously waiting for us; apparently they had wanted to go and search but were too afraid of going without Yusei. While this made me question their sense of courage, I was too elated in my own accomplishments to really care.<p>

Of course, Nervin got some severe talking-to by Rally; it actually surprised me that a boy his age could talk down a man about twice his size. As for Nervin's wound, a few wipes from a gauze pad and a fresh bandage from the group's first aid kit solved that right up. He was even able to speak properly after an hour's rest, making us all the more happy for his recovery.

As Yusei pulls up to the station platform, Rally and the gang race out to meet him. I get up a few seconds later and move to Yusei as well, taking my time as I hear Nervin and Rally telling what had happened, Tank and Blitz interrupting at times to drop in their own points. Yusei takes it all in with an unchanging expression, only widening his slightly at Nervin telling of his wounds from Kameno. By the time I am with the group, the story has pretty much been told to an accurate point.

"Is this all true, Samuel?" Yusei turns to me with confusion in his blue eyes. I only nod in response, not trusting my mouth from making a snide comment and ruining the mood.

"Well then," Yusei continues with a sudden smile on his face. "Thank you for rescuing Nervin. You put yourself through a lot of trouble for us."

"Just doing what I think is right," I respond with a bow. "Everyone should have the chance to trust another person, right?" A firm nod from everyone else present is the response.

"Hey, Samuel," Yusei then asks as he moves to his tent at the back end of the station, "Could you wait there for a moment?"

A short "Sure" is my response, a raised eyebrow marking my confusion. When Yusei returns, he holds something bulky in his hands that he holds out for me to take. Several wires and cylinders connect to a central metal frame with what looks like an electrical power source inside.

"What is this, Yusei?" I ask as I take the offered object and find it isn't as heavy as I thought it was.

"It's a D-Wheel engine; _your_ engine, now." Yusei responds. At my surprised expression, Nervin and the rest offer cheers for me and pats on the back. I'm too shocked to respond properly, so their actions are helpful to keep me calm.

"I had that engine from a long while ago," Yusei continues once the noise dies down, "But it still works fine. Consider that a thank-you gift for helping out one of my friends. If you need help getting it set up, I'll be glad to assist you."

"I can help too!" Nervin cuts in with careful moving of his mouth, seemingly eager to repay me for what I went through to help him. "I know D-Wheel parts pretty good, though not as good as Yusei does."

"I'll take any help I can," I say with an elated tone. "Thank you all for this generosity. However, I think we could have become good friends under better circumstances than this." The others laugh or smile at my comment, brightening the atmosphere even more and offering a point of light in Satellite's apparent darkness…

* * *

><p><strong>And... that's that! As said before, the recent workload has made me quite busy and prevented me from updating earlier. I'm sorry if I upset any of you...<strong>

**As usual, please offer comments, thoughts, and criticisms. Your continued viewing is well appreciated, and we still have a LONG way to go!**

**Draconos is taking off... and will try to come back sooner next time!**


	7. C7: D-Wheel Ready! Police Pursuit!

**Hello once again, readers. My mood is a bit more glum nowadays. Maybe the break has caused more mental stress than I realized. Or maybe its my increasing want to pump out chapters for you all, casting all thought of grammar and writing style aside. Here's hoping this doesn't cause any major consequences with your expectations.**

**Now, let me first mention something (Rubs claws together in worry). There has been a growing concern about Samuel's Deck lacking a Dragon-type Synchro monster. So far, there have been two reviewers who have commented on this, and more will probably come in the future. Therefore, I am asking YOU, the readers, to offer suggestions for a Dragon-type Synchro monster for Samuel's Deck!**

**This design should be based on the purpose of my Deck, which I believe I mention in the first chapter where the Deck was described. If you need a second look, go back to the first chapter and look there. **

**When you are explaining your design, BE DESCRIPTIVE! Describe the effects, Attack and Defense points, Level, Attribute and artwork as best as you can! Furthermore, as this Synchro is to be an avatar of Samuel's Deck, describe some lore behind the monster. Speak of its significance to Samuel (maybe add some story as to how it will wind up in Samuel's hands) as well as its significance in the Deck.**

**I will take all suggestions into consideration. If I can, I will message you back and ask further questions of your creations. Then, if your creation is accepted, I will give you full credit and recognition in the story!**

**(Clears throat) Now that THAT'S out of the way, let's get on with the usual questions and reviews! Actually, there aren't any major ones besides what has been mentioned above. The recent comments have mostly been for me to keep up the writing, which is good all the same!**

**Now for the usual disclaimer, with a modifier! **The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC, Duel Runner and Duel deck.

**Oh, one more important thing. This is another of those 'plot advancement' chapters, like the 3rd chapter in the story. In other words, THIS CHAPTER WILL HAVE NO DUELS IN IT. However, it does lead up to Samuel's first Riding/Turbo Duel (yeah, spoiling that for you all now), so consider it a cliffhanger of sorts.**

**Now, Onward to the Chapter!**

* * *

><p>"Why so glum, Samuel?"<p>

I look up to see Rally staring at me with concern, his gray eyes lit with a mix of curiosity and worry. I sit upright from the couch I have been lying on for a few hours now, my planned sleep interrupted by Rally's words.

I chose to sleep after Nervin helped me install the D-Wheel engine once all the commotion about it had died down. The installation hadn't been that hard, but that was probably more with Nervin's help than my own instinct. After all, I had never driven a D-Wheel before—or, at least, my memories were saying that. I may have had a D-Wheel before I woke up in Satellite, but that could also be a figment of my imagination…

I hear Rally shuffle his feet awkwardly, bringing me back to the present moment with a sigh.

"Well," I respond without seeming angry towards Rally for waking me up, "I could be glum because of my memory loss, or because of the fact that I still need a computer chip for my D-Wheel to function properly."

"Yeah, that's probably the case," Rally agreed while looking down at his feet sadly. Looking away from Rally's own confusion, I see Yusei enter his own tent among the cluster of tents at the station's far end. Come to think of it, how long had he been in there, anyway? He had gone right back after giving me his old D-Wheel engine, and I hadn't seen him emerge since.

"Rally?" I quickly ask the boy before me without looking at him. "Is Yusei always this distant from you guys?"

"What? No!" It takes a second for Rally to respond, but he does so with anger at my apparent distrust of Yusei. "He's just busy for something special he has to do tonight!"

"What would that something be, I wonder," I turn towards Rally as I say this, dropping my voice to add force to my question. Rally looks to the side for a moment before returning to me with a flustered expression.

"Yusei can explain it better than I can," Rally says hurriedly. "Go speak to him; I'm sure he's got time for a curious friend." Before I can respond, Rally rushes over to the old television and turns it on. The speed of this action is quite humorous to me, and I chuckle as I head over to Yusei's tent.

As I'm about to enter, the tent flap opens and Yusei steps out, colliding into me with a forceful bump and making me stumble wildly. Regaining my footing, I see Yusei freeze in surprise for a moment before resuming his normal demeanor.

"Watch where you're walking, man," I chastise. "You almost knocked me over there."

"Sorry," Yusei says quietly, seemingly distant from the situation at hand.

"Anyway," I continue while brushing imaginary dust off of my jeans. "Do you have time for a question or two? Rally said you had something 'special' happening tonight."

Yusei blinks in what looks like confusion before nodding. An awkward silence surrounds us as I expect Yusei to show me just what he's doing. I don't know what he expects, but neither of us make a move for several seconds.

"So…" I mutter while looking towards Yusei's tent. "Care to explain why you're being so distant from us all?"

"I'm leaving Satellite," Yusei says firmly. "Tonight."

"Leaving?!" My jaw almost drops from the shock of this statement. "But you can't just leave Satellite! Ida told me the law enforcement here is impossible to get by!"

"He's right, but I have to leave here and I've got the tiniest of opportunities to do so."

Without another word, Yusei moves to his computer, beckoning me over with a wave of his hand. I quickly walk beside him, the screen now active and showing a digital display of several pipelines highlighted in green.

"This is part of the trash system Neo Domino City uses to bring their waste into Satellite," Yusei explains as he continues typing on the computer's keyboard. "The pipes run round-the-clock, 24/7, bringing trash to be processed by Satellite workers. However …"

At this, Yusei presses the 'ENTER' key on his computer. The display zooms in to a single pipe, a red arrow flashing at one end of the pipe towards what looks like a hatch or door.

"This pipe doesn't stick with that system as its one of the main pipes connecting to Neo Domino," Yusei continues. "At the end of each month, when midnight comes around, this pipe is closed for maintenance checkup. Then, this hatch over here will open up to let workers in;that's when I'll get through to Neo Domino."

"So, you're going to race through a series of pipelines at midnight tonight in order to reach one small hatch that's open for—how long is this hatch open for, anyway?"

"Three minutes." I almost fall prone at hearing this comment.

"THREE MINUTES," I shout without care of who might hear, "and you have to get into the pipeline as well?! That seems to be a goal that's too difficult to accomplish!"

"Why do you think I've been on my D-Wheel so often?" Yusei ends his question with a small smile, my response halting as I put the pieces together. Yusei has been on his D-Wheel so often because he is preparing for this journey. It seems like he knows the risks and he has planned for them accordingly. I just didn't know the purpose of his practice until now, and I probably should have figured it out earlier.

"I… But…" I finally clap my hand over my face in confounded stupidity. "I didn't know you had prepared for this so much."

"Getting to Neo Domino means everything to me and my friends," Yusei says as he shuts off his computer. "I'll take whatever risks may come my way."

"If you're so confident in this and certain you'll succeed …" I start before sighing and looking away from Yusei, "then all I can really say is good luck. I'll only get in the way if I try to stop you and neither of us want that, right?" I see Yusei frown at my sudden change in attitude—frankly, I wasn't sure what brought those words on, but I didn't want my anger to cause any harm between us by saying the wrong thing.

"However," I continue despite my gut saying I shouldn't, "I would like to know why you are doing all of this. What goal will this accomplish?" Yusei's eyes shut and he turns his head away from me, a deep frown on his face. He remains like this for a few moments before opening his eyes again.

"I need to settle a score with someone," he begins, "and I need to get to Neo Domino City to do so because that's where he lives now."

"What's the name of this 'he' that you seem to hate so much?" I cross my arms over my chest in frustration at Yusei's apparent beating around the proverbial bush.

"He's known nowadays as Jack Atlas, King of Riding Duels, but I knew him when he was a good friend of mine here in Satellite."

My mind quickly flashes back to the Turbo Duel Rally and the rest of Yusei's group had been watching when I had received that anonymous message. There had been a man named 'Jack Atlas' there in a Riding Duel against a 'Hunter Pace'. I hadn't paid attention, for obvious reasons, but the anger that those watching had felt quickly sprang back to memory.

"From what I know," I comment after a second of silence that feels much longer than it actually is passes, "your friends seem to hate him."

"He betrayed our trust to pursue his own power," Yusei responds while locking eyes with me. "He took my first D-Wheel and my most powerful Dueling card and left us behind without looking back."

"Now you want to get revenge?" I raise an eyebrow at Yusei's goal being solely about emotional balance. "You want to get back your card and your D-Wheel from Jack that badly?"

"Wouldn't you?" Yusei's question is strongly backed by his sharp glare; iflooks could kill, I'd have suffered at least two deaths by now.

"Hey, I don't wish to interfere with your plans," I quickly say while raising my hands in apology. "I just wanted to know why before you drove off and left me hanging with questions. I'll leave you alone, if that's what you want."

I wait a few seconds to see what Yusei's response will be; when no response comes, I lower my hands and walk away, my heart beating faster in the fear that I've just caused another dent in my friendship.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, I stand outside the hideout with Rally as Yusei brings his D-Wheel up the last bit of stairs. The night sky is almost completely clear, a full moon beaming down on the ruined buildings and streets and illuminating the gray exterior. Despite this creepy atmosphere, the energy amongst us is charged with excitement and nervousness at what is soon to come.<p>

"Be careful out there, Yusei," Rally warns despite his excited expression. "I know you can do it!"

"Before you ask," I add in before the question could be brought up, "Tank, Blitz and Nervin are inside the hideout and working with your computer to bring up a tracking display. They're also planning on accessing the broadcast frequency of what few cameras are inside the pipeline so we can actually see your journey."

Yusei nods in response to both our comments, placing his Duel Disk onto an allotted slot on his D-Wheel. The Disk's panels flash with a rainbow light as it is integrated into the D-Wheel's computers.

"Oh, before I forget," Rally suddenly says while running over to Yusei, "I've got something for you!" Rally then whips a card out of his coat and gives it to Yusei. As Yusei takes the card, I see surprise on his face for a brief moment.

"Isn't this Turbo Booster, Rally? Your father's card?" Yusei questions his younger friend as I choose to remain silent. Rally nods in the affirmative, happiness overflowing from his features.

"I know this card will help you out," Rally then says with confidence. "I just know it!" Yusei looks at the card for another moment before smiling at his friend.

"Thanks for the help," he says. "I'll be sure to succeed with all of you supporting me." Rally cheers as I roll my eyes and smile at the movie-like quality this conversation is showing.

"Shall we get going, Rally?" I ask kindly while gesturing back to the hideout. "The others have probably got the computer set up by now, and midnight is fast approaching." Rally reluctantly moves back inside as I turn to look at Yusei again. Some instinctual part of my brain makes me give him a three-fingered salute before I turn to head inside as well. The sound of Yusei's Duel Runner starting up makes me shudder with nervousness as I walk down the steps to where my friends are waiting.

* * *

><p>"Is it all set?" Rally asks several minutes later to Nervin and Blitz, the two looking over the computer one last time. Midnight was only a few minutes away, judging by the computer's clock, and Yusei had already driven off.<p>

"Yep," Nervin finally says happily. "Let's see how Yusei's doing." Pressing a few keys, the screen lights up to show several small images spaced out for view. A clock counting down towards midnight is on the upper right, a digital scan of the pipeline with a red blip indicating Yusei is on the upper left, and the rest is filled with images from the pipeline's cameras.

"Wow," I comment before fully realizing it. "I guess it didn't take that much effort to hack into the pipeline's camera network."

"Not if you know what you're doing," Blitz comments with a smirk. "Hopefully the signal remains clear enough for us to see if Yusei makes it."

"Can't we go topside for that?" Tank asks in concern. "I mean, the ground will interfere with the receiver while we're here, so maybe -"

"Shhh!" Rally hushes us up while pointing to the screen. The little audio we pick up is a jumble of sounds—Yusei's D-Wheel going at top speed with the blaring of sirens getting louder and melding with the wail of an alarm.

"Anyone else picking up that -?" I start to ask before the visual images turn to static and the audio shorts out with a sharp crackle.

"Damn it," I hear Nervin mutter as he starts typing quickly to recover the signal. It takes a few tense seconds to do so, and the new images show an unknown blue and white D-Wheel behind Yusei's with flashing sirens. The area is tinted a strange purple; whether that's from the cameras or something else, I can't tell. What I can tell is the strange blue-tinted book with a single large eye floating in front of Yusei's Runner is blocking all passage.

"What's that behind Yusei?!" Tank shouts for all of us.

"It's Sector Security!" Blitz says in shock. "How'd they catch up to Yusei so fast?"

"It looks like they're in a Riding Duel," Nervin notices. "This wasn't in any of the test runs!"

"Break away, Yusei!" Rally shouts despite the fact Yusei can't hear him through the screen.

As if fate has it out for us, the signal suddenly shuts off again. This time, it takes about a minute to recover it and a sharp beep from the clock indicates the shifting of time for the worse.

"It's midnight!" Blitz announces with concern. "Yusei's only got three minutes to get to the hatch!"

I hold my breath as the images show Yusei and the Sector Security officer now in a large yellow pipe—the layout of the pipe is similar to that of the main pipe Yusei had shown me earlier. The monster position has changed as well; now, there was an oriental-looking warrior on the officer's field holding down a mechanical warrior made of blue, silver and tan pieces. The brighter interior of the pipe also shows the officer to us all—a darker-skinned man with a cocky smile underneath his helmet and a black vest coat over a police uniform.

"That's Officer Trudge!" Rally says in anger. "Why does he always have to get in the way?!"

_'Seems this 'Trudge' character is more familiar to the group than normal,'_ I think to myself as Yusei activates a Trap card and shoots ahead of the officer. Snippets of dialogue come in through the speakers, the younger voice of Yusei mixing with the officer's gruffer voice.

About a minute or so later, the flash of a Synchro Summon signals the arrival of a large green and black muscle-bound humanoid with what looks like a nitro jetpackon its back. The warrior glows a lighter shade of green and roars as the book monster from before loses its shade of blue. The officer screams in shock as the warrior slams a glowing fist into the book, shattering it completely through.

At that moment, the clock beeps again; I look and gasp at seeing the three minutes are up. A rumble is heard as the trash begins its flow again, bearing down on the two Duelists like a tidal wave. The officer cries out as the trash approaches, Yusei doing his best to weave through the pieces in order to reach a hatch none of us can see.

"Dodge the trash, Yusei," Blitz encourages. "Watch it!"

"Don't stop for nothing!" Tank adds in as Yusei manages to powerslide his way below a large crate. He then goes full throttle, racing along the wall of the pipe in a curving arc and ending with a second powerslide that shoots him right through the hatch just before the door closes too far for him to get through.

The camera feed goes dark as the cameras turn themselves off. However, a single blip on the digital display shows Yusei racing beyond the pipeline. Silence surrounds us as no one dares make a sound, all of us realizing the same thing but no one having the courage to comment.

"YES!" I finally shout with a pump of my fist. "He made it!" That sets everyone cheering, our shouts echoing off the walls in happiness.

"He made it," Tank yells with joy, "and just in time, too! Did you see him rev it up there?!" Nervin and Blitz add in comments, while Rally just stares at the screen with a smile too large for his face.

"I just knew he could do it," I hear Rally finally say. "I just knew it!" He then joins our merry celebration with an excited laugh. Our joy continues like this for several minutes, finally dying down into happy sighs and small chuckles of amazement.

"Hey, Samuel" Rally then says while standing upright. "I'm gonna help you out, too!"

"Help me out… how?" I question, panting slightly from overexertion.

"In getting your memories back! If Yusei can get to the city, so can you. We'll all chip in to help, right guys?" Tank, Nervin and Blitz all nod in agreement as my chest feels like it's blooming in excitement.

"With your help," I say while raising a fist to the ceiling, "I'll get through anything Satellite or Neo Domino tries to throw at me!"

The others throw in a collective, "YEAH!" as I feel my heart pound with confidence. Nothing will get in my way to learning who I really am…

* * *

><p>A sharp pain in my right arm makes me jerk awake and roll off the couch. Landing hard, I stand up slowly, the pain only intensifying with every moment. Gritting my teeth to avoid crying out, a sixth sense makes me start walking up the stairs to the outside world.<p>

The moon's light is mixed with a bright red glow as I step outside, like a lunar eclipse is occurring. The glow seems to be coming from a source other than the moon, though. Looking around with tears streaming from the pain, I see the light is shining from a faraway city—Neo Domino City, from the looks of it.

As I finally see the cause of the light, a mix between a wolf's howl and a cat's cry reaches my ears. A large plume of red flame mixed with golden streams shines across the cityscape before forming into a dragon with golden eyes and a gaping red maw. Its tail is shaped like an Aztec mask, each claw and wingtip curved and razor-sharp in appearance. Its size is massive, easily equaling the city in height and probably able to shroud every building in its wingspan.

My jaw drops as the creature cries out again, the pain in my arm now feeling like needles piercing my veins. I fall to my knees while keeping focused on the dragon as it fades away to a cloud of red dust. Looking at the cloud, I see a large dome below it, probably where the dragon had emerged from.

The pain in my arm makes me finally look at it—and widen my eyes in horror. Etched onto my arm is a red mark that glows with the same light as the dragon's body, two red triangles overlapping in opposing directions as a single red eye stares at me without a pupil. I blink to clear my vision, but the mark is gone by the time my eyes reopen. The pain also vanishes as quickly as it had arrived.

_'What the hell was that?'_ I question to myself as I look at Neo Domino City again before heading back inside. _'Yusei …something had better not have happened to you so soon.'_

* * *

><p>My eyes open as I wake up from a restless sleep. Getting up from the couch, I see sunlight streaming in through cracks on the station's ceiling. I rub my eyes as my mind wanders over random thoughts from the last few days.<p>

It's been some time since Yusei had left for Neo Domino and I saw that strange dragon in the sky—not to mention the mark on my arm which hasn't appeared since. I've felt around the area several times, trying to find some kind of etching or piece of the mark, but find nothing.

_'Was it a hallucination,'_ I think as I stand up and do a few stretches to ease out the kinks of sleeping on a couch, _'or was that mark somehow connected to that dragon? Granted, it only happened that one time, so it could mean a lot of different things. Maybe I should -'_

I am cut off from further thoughts as my Duel Disk display starts flashing. Opening it up with a few button presses, I see a new message has appeared in my mailbox with no subject name. Opening it, I read the following…

_'Netrunner,_

_'Word through the proverbial grapevine has said you've recently out-Dueled Kameno and his 'gang' singlehandedly. I'd first like to extend my congratulations on such a feat, no matter how risky and stupid you seem in trying it. Some complimentary DP has been transferred to your account—consider that a more literal compliment than mere words on an email._

_'Now, the main reason of interest for this event is that you have had problems with a D-Wheel from Kameno and his colleagues. Well, attached to this email are the coordinates and a few images of a good D-Wheel shop in Satellite. If you have the basics for the D-Wheel assembled, then go and check it out—they have good parts and cards for semi-expensive prices, but they work well considering the overall quality of products that comes to Satellite from Neo Domino._

_'Good luck!'_

Closing the message with a sigh, I open up my 'Accounts' page to check the values.

**'BALANCE: 6280 DP**

**'PREVIOUS DUEL EARNINGS: 590 DP**

**'RECENT TRANSFERS/PURCHASES: 1000 DP added to account'**

My eyes widen at the 'transfer' amount; that was equal to the price of the D-Wheel frame I purchased from Kuroe before. Was the sender of these messages hoping to earn my trust by paying off the price of the frame or was this just to make me think of trusting him so that he could hack into my account later on?

Closing that page, I go back to my emails and open up the attachment mentioned before. What I see is a cross-reference map and some pictures of a run-down store near what looks like a former highway. The front end of the store seems foreboding with the rubble surrounding it on all other sides, but I have come to expect rubble in Satellite. Closing the display, I shake my head in confusion as to just who wants to help me out so much.

Walking over to my D-Wheel to clear my mind, I smirk as I see the 'custom changes' that my friends recommended and helped me accomplish. Instead of the basic white color, the frame is now painted bluish-white with red and green edges mixed in, echoing the color designs of my three Synchro Monsters.

A refitted card holder is fitted on the left arm frame so that my cards can be held safely if a Riding Duel arises, and the D-Wheel's computer sits in clear view of the driver's seat with a Duel Disk holder beneath it for Riding Duels. As most of these supplies had either been scrapped or in old condition when we found them, we only had to refit them in order to make them work for my D-Wheel.

A familiar cry of, "Samuel!" breaks my thoughts as I turn towards the station entrance to see Rally racing down from outside. His hands are tightly clenched, almost like he's holding something in them. Behind him comes Tank, probably attracted by Rally's excitement.

"I got you something great," Rally says while huffing for breath. Opening his hands, I see a small chip of silver, intricate wiring, telling me it has high technical capabilities. The words "G-10000" are engraved onto the chip's surface, seeming microscopic in size.

"Is that a G-10000 CPU chip?!" Tank asks in surprise. "Those things are the newest quality and super rare to find!"

"Well, I found one," Rally responds hotly, "and Samuel here can have it for his D-Wheel. Now it can finally work!"

"Hold it!" I cut in before anything else can be said. "Where exactly did you find this, Rally?" The boy looks away from me with a strange smile on his face that puts me on edge.

"That's a secret for only me to know," the boy replies. "But I've also got this for you as well!" So saying, the boy whips out a heavily-folded set of riding clothes. Rally also pulls a battered helmet from beneath his coat, which makes me wonder how he managed to stuff all this material inside his clothing.

The suit and pants are colored a similar gray to the rubble and ruins of Satellite, but the clean white linings along the collar, sleeves and legs offer a sense of freshness to the outfit, or maybe it's the opposing color scheme. I can't tell. The helmet offers a similar form, having a black outline with white triangles at the earpieces.

"Those clothes you're wearing won't feel that good on a D-Wheel, but these ones will, for sure, and they look awesome, as well!" Rally's explanation doesn't lower my worries, but I keep silent as I take the chip, suit and helmet and go to my D-Wheel.

As I look over the framework and try to find the proper entry point, a small panel next to an empty computer screen and Duel Disk holster catches my eye. Opening the panel with a quick finger flick, I slip the chip inside. The chip slides in far enough so that the panel closes completely behind it.

Instantly, the D-Wheel comes alive, the computer screen lighting up and going through several loading screens in a matter of seconds. The screen then turns into digital images of a speedometer, gear selector and GPS locater, the words 'RIDING MODE' located on the upper right. The background is colored similarly to the ocean, each display being highlighted in red and green auras.

The words, 'D-WHEEL ONLINE,' are said by a robotic female voice, offering confirmation to the three of us that the D-Wheel is now active.

Without giving time for comments, I place the suit and helmet on the ground, slip into the D-Wheel and sit down. My hands fit in between the arm frames as I take my Duel Disk off and place it in front of the screen on the Disk holder.

The Disk flashes with a multicolored light as it is recognized by the computer, the words, "DUEL DISK ENGAGED," being spoken by the female voice. My heart pounding in anticipation, I press down on the accelerator with my right foot.

A roar bounces off the walls as exhaust emerges from the D-Wheel's rear end with the engine's activation. The engine's sound actually startles me—it sounds almost primal and dangerous in tone, like a red star about to go supernova or a lion proclaiming its dominance over a fresh kill. I feel a thrum spread across the frame from the engine, like the energy within can break out of the frame and cause untold chaos.

"Whoa…" Tank finally mutters, a quick look at his face allowing me to clearly see his shock. Rally has the same expression, but his eyes are shining with absolute excitement. I take a deep breath to calm myself before breaking the silence, my own excitement growing by the second.

"Rally, Tank," I begin. "Where is the best place to go and test this out?" The two stare at me dumbly before the question registers, Rally being the first to realize it.

"The Old Highway's your best bet," he says with a grin. "It's just down the main road and a bit south. Sector Security shouldn't be patrolling around there this time of day, so feel free to rev it up!"

"I think I'll do just that!"

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, after Rally and Tank give me some additional directions to the Old Highway, I don my new riding suit and helmet, the visor slipping over my face with the push of one of the white triangles on the helmet. Slipping into my D-Wheel on street level, I squeeze the right handgrip, the gear selector changing to a 'D' for 'Drive'. Pressing on the accelerator, the D-Wheel moves forward with increasing speed the further I press down. The speedometer begins to climb until I reach a cruising speed of 30 mph. By this point, the buildings are moving by pretty fast to my untrained eye.<p>

At a left turn, I brace myself for some clumsy maneuvering on my part. What I get instead is a sense of time slowing down as my body shifts to the left at the exact closest moment when the two streets meet. The D-Wheel eases into the turn with minimal feedback, my body rising up like I had done this precise maneuver countless times before. The excelling success of the turn makes me blink several times in short succession as I slow down to a stop. My hands start to shake as I release my hold on the handgrips and start thinking exactly how that had happened.

Was this a memory trying to reveal itself without me having to go through a flashback or was this some automatic response I had gained, but couldn't remember how? I look at my hands as if they had the clues written somewhere on them. Eventually, my mind agrees with my gut that the clue was, in fact, not written somewhere on my body and would have to be discovered some other way.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling heavily, I set my mind on getting to that D-Wheel shop, especially before Sector Security found me. Before I start moving, though, that sixth sense from before tells me to take out my Deck's Spell Cards. Since I am going to be purchasing Speed Spells from the store, I don't want to clog my Deck up with Spells that can't be used in a Riding Duel.

* * *

><p>The shop actually isn't that hard to find—however, I do know where to go and look from the email's coordinates, so one can say I have an advantage in my search. Once I find it, though, I understand the 'foreboding' nature the email had described.<p>

The sides and back of the small store are covered with rubble and waste from what looks like a few landfills mixed together. Despite this exterior, the warehouse itself is relatively average in cleanliness with a good wooden door being the entrance inside; a proverbial diamond in the rough, and for someone like me, that's good enough to check out. Parking my D-Wheel just outside the entrance, I leave my helmet on the seat and disengage my Duel Disk, stride up to the wooden door and push it open.

The first thing I realize is that I'm not the only person who came here; a boy about Rally's age with brown hair and a man with gelled green hair cast glances at me before returning to their browsing. The boy is looking at certain cards on the left, the man checking D-Wheel parts on the right. At the far end of the store stands a young woman in a green shirt with rolled up sleeves, pale skin and long black hair covering most of her face, wiping a dirty D-Wheel frame piece clean from behind a large drawer with glass windows showing more cards and parts. I walk over to the woman, noticing along the way that the cards and Runner parts here were not of high quality. Then again, I tell myself that quality was never a major judging factor of effectiveness in Satellite.

"I need to see your roster of Speed Spells and D-Wheel add-ons, please," I explain firmly to the woman while placing both hands sharply on the drawer's surface. She puts her washcloth and frame piece down on the drawer, her hair moving slightly at the motion. The man looks at me suspiciously while the boy only glances my way before resuming his browsing.

"Do you have any specific cards or parts you wish to see?" the woman asks, almost too quietly for me to hear correctly.

"That's why I asked for the catalog," I respond while trying not to sound angry at my having to repeat my question. "If you don't have it, I can just start browsing and I'll find what I'm looking for."

"Hold on," the woman says with a raised hand. "Do you want Speed Spells or D-Wheel parts? I can't help you on both at once."

"Speed Spells first," I respond. "Sorry for confusing you." This makes the woman raise her head at me in apparent surprise, her hair splitting for a fraction of a second and showing that her left eye's iris is colored gold. The sight is gone before I can comment on it, the woman quickly stepping round the drawer to face me. I now notice the smooth black pants and grey sneakers she is wearing, as well as part of a bar code tattoo going up her left arm.

"The Speed Spells are over here," the woman says as she leads me to the closest section of cards on the left wall. "Just bring what you want to me and I can calculate the total price."

"Got it," I answer. "Thanks." As I turn to start looking at the Speed Spells, I see the woman raise her left sleeve a bit more, revealing more of that tattoo to my eye. I stare at the mark for a few moments, but that is too long not to be noticed by the woman as we lock eyes for a moment, her hair splitting apart again to reveal her right eye. What makes me pause in shock is this eye being colored midnight black.

"Don't look at me like that!" the woman shrieks as she realizes what's happening.

She retreats behind the drawer before I can say anything, a "Tsk, tsk," coming from the man as he heads for the door. The boy looks more surprised as he leaves as well. Guilt makes my throat close up as I quickly begin browsing.

A few minutes later, I hold ten Speed Spells and the Field Spell 'Speed World' in my left hand as I walk back to the drawer. Fanning the cards out on the table, I see the woman glance at me warily before opening her own Duel Disk display; her disk is the standard-issue Duel Disk I've seen across Satellite.

"The total price is 2,620 DP," she finally says after what feels like several minutes pass. I nod and open my Duel Disk display in order to transfer the funds. Before I can do so, however, the store door bursts open with a crack. Three men in police uniforms burst into the store, their white and blue helmets shielding their faces from view. The biggest of the group, a dark-skinned man with black hair poking out and a scar on his left cheek, points at me with a sinister grin that sends shivers down my spine.

"You there," he shouts with a gruff edge in his voice. "You're under arrest for theft of a G-10000 model Sector Security D-Wheel computer chip! We tracked your D-Wheel here and there's no escaping us!" As these words sink in, I hear the woman suck in a breath before closing her Duel Disk display; at the same time, I feel my body surge with energy in preparation for an escape plan.

"I'll be back with the payment," I quickly say as I scoop up the Speed Spells and slip them into my Deck before rushing at the officers. The leader jumps in front of me, his bigger body trying to block my path. As I see his movement, time seems to slow down again as my body weaves under the officer's left arm while slamming an elbow into his side. Spinning out to conserve momentum as I hear the air go out of his lungs, I dive to the right and towards the door.

The second officer's lunge towards me just misses grabbing my right arm mid-spin as the third officer stands in front of the door to block my escape. A growl rises from my throat, turning into a cry as I rush down the door with all intents to break it open.

* * *

><p>With a <em>crack<em>, the door bursts open, the officer flying out with a loud grunt of pain. I dive out a moment later, my body executing a forward roll before sprinting to my D-Wheel. Two other officers stand guard by it, now fumbling with their radios as I charge towards them. They scatter like bowling pins in surprise, allowing me to leap onto my ride. I quickly engage my Duel Disk and slip on my helmet before burning rubber out of the area, the engine leaving an echoing roar in my wake.

Before I can relax, though, sirens reach my ears as three D-Wheels with the words 'Sector Security' plastered on the sides and front race towards me. Gunning the accelerator, I burst forward and away from my pursuers down a long street with cracks and potholes. Dodging the hazards as best I can, I gasp in surprise as my computer screen suddenly flashes with the picture of the 'Speed World' Field Spell, even though I hadn't activated the spell. My D-Wheel automatically slows down as the words 'DUEL MODE ENGAGED: AUTOPILOT ONLINE' flash on my screen.

"Surprised, Satellite?" This question comes from the lead officer from inside the shop, his D-Wheel coming up to mine from behind. As the two of us ride adjacent, I see that the man's uniform is actually a black coat—the same coat of the officer who Dueled Yusei in the pipeline! Seeing my shock, the officer laughs in my face.

"Well, don't feel so discouraged," he continues. "We've been tracking that chip's signal ever since you started up your Runner. That chip is owned by Sector Security, one of several used to trick thieving scum like you. What makes these chips so special is that they can be hacked into by us officers, forcing you into a Riding Duel, so unless you have a Deck of some kind, you're going nowhere!"

"I have a Deck, Officer Trudge!" I shout in anger as I hold the Deck upright, Speed Spells already inside it. Trudge is stunned for a moment before laughing at me again.

"So you know who I am, huh? Then it'll be all the sweeter for me to take you out! I've learned a lot of tricks over the years Dueling you Satellites. Get ready for a one-way trip to the Facility!"

"You'll have to beat me first!" I race forward as far as possible from Trudge's Runner, both of our Decks automatically shuffling before we draw 5 cards from the top. I place my cards carefully into the holster, not fully trusting the autopilot to keep my Runner stable at all times. As I see my display switch to a simulated Dueling grid and speedometer change to a Speed Counter wheel, I shout out a phrase with the officer that I somehow knew without realizing…

"RIDING DUEL! ACCELERATION!"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that should be enough for now.<strong>

**The offer for the Dragon Synchro monster is now open! Bring your suggestions in! Be as creative as possible when making them! Take your time in making them. Efficiency will be worth it when I see your suggestions.**

**As usual, criticism is appreciated (reasonable, that is). The next chapter will have Samuel's first Riding/Turbo Duel (yeah, spoiling that again), so it will take additional time to complete.**

**Draconos is taking off, and thinking about the changes to come!**


	8. C8: Riding Duel! Accelerating Events!

**IMPORTANT EDIT BY AUTHOR! The suggestions below are being edited and new suggestions are being added over time. Please check back to this page if possible to see if updates have been made!**

* * *

><p><strong>Welcome back, readers! Before we begin, here is an update regarding that Dragon Synchro 'contest' from last chapter.<strong>

**There have been six results so far, some more detailed than others. I will wait for another chapter for more suggestions before I may start wrapping things up. The reason for this is that I want to have the selected card set up a while before it is to be included. This way, I can avoid having to quickly place it into somewhere that it might not fully fit. **

**With that said, here are the submissions, not numbered to preference.**

**IMPORTANT EDIT! These entries are being changed on this page over time. Updates and new entries will be posted here; check back to this chapter often to see changes!**

1: 'Anti-Program Dragon'

** Submitter**: duelinggod  
><strong>LVL<strong>: 8  
><strong>Attribute<strong>: UNKNOWN  
><strong>Type<strong>: Dragon/Synchro/Effect  
><strong>ATKDEF**: 3000/2550  
><strong>Effect<strong>: '1 Program Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Program-type Monsters  
>When this card is Summoned, you can banish up to five monsters from your Graveyard. Destroy one card on your opponent's field and increase this card's ATK by 200 for each monster banished by this effect.'<br>**Appearance**: A cyborg dragon. White scales, gold eyes, cybernetic right wing, organic left wing, cybernetic eye on left side of face, golden teeth. Stands on two legs, able to fly, cybernetic right claws, grappling hook tail.  
><strong>Summon Chant<strong>: '_Ima ni tsu naru ichi tsu, ichi tsu kara atarashii deeta ha kuru desho u! Shinkuro Shokan! Anchi puroguramu doragon!_'  
>(Now two will become one, and out of one will come new data! Synchro Summon! Anti-Program Dragon!)<br>**NOTE**: When monster is destroyed, Samuel becomes extremely angry.  
><strong>NOTE<strong>: Additional possible Synchro Monster accessible when this card is destroyed. Similar to 'Guardian Dreadscythe being Summoned when 'Guardian Eatos' is destroyed.  
>1-1: 'Program Virus Dragon'<br>**Submitter**: duelinggod **(MORE DETAIL REQUIRED ON CARD)**

2: 'Hollow Wing Synchro Dragon'  
><strong>Submitter<strong>: Unidentified Guest  
><strong>LVL<strong>: 8  
><strong>Attribute<strong>: UNKNOWN (Presuming DARK)  
><strong>Type<strong>: Synchro/Dragon/Effect  
><strong>ATKDEF**: 2800/2500  
><strong>Effect<strong>: **TUNING REQUIREMENTS UNKNOWN** (Presuming 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters)  
>'Once per turn, when this card is targeted by a monster for attack or effect: Negate the effect and banish that monster. If the banish is successful: This card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the banished monster, until the End Phase.'<br>**Appearance**: Based on 'Clear Wing' Synchro from 'Yugioh Arc V', but darker. The white is replaced by black and the green is replaced by blue.  
><strong>Chant<strong>: '_Doragon no shi to sokudo, deijitaru boido kara joushoushi 'tu' shouri! Shinkuro Shokan! Nakazorat Subasa Doragon!_'  
>(Dragon of death and speed, hear me! Rise up from the digital void and accelerate to victory! Synchro Summon! Hollow Wing Synchro Dragon!)<p>

3: 'Robo Blackbox Dragon' **(NAME SUBSEQUENT TO CHANGE)**  
><strong>Submitter<strong>: Unidentified Guest  
><strong>LVL<strong>: UNKNOWN (presumably 8)  
><strong>Attribute<strong>: UNKNOWN (Presumably EARTH or LIGHT  
><strong>Type<strong>: UNKNOWN (presumably Synchro/Dragon/Effect)  
><strong>ATKDEF**: UNKNOWN (Presuming approx. 2500-2800 for each)  
><strong>Effect<strong>: **TUNING REQUIREMENTS UNKNOWN, EFFECT ****UNKNOWN**  
><strong>Appearance<strong>: UNKNOWN (Presuming similar to mass of black cubes under a hive mind connection, capable of morphing into any specific form. Dragon would be base form.)  
><strong>Chant<strong>: UNKNOWN  
><strong>NOTE<strong>: Related to the 2009 movie 'Shorts', based on 'black box' creature in the movie that can become any technological device user wants.

4: 'Netcalibur Dragon'  
><strong>Submitter<strong>: kingdom cure  
><strong>LVL<strong>: 8  
><strong>Attribute<strong>: LIGHT  
><strong>Type<strong>: Synchro/Dragon/Effect  
><strong>ATKDEF**: 2800/2300  
><strong>Effect<strong>: '1 Program Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters.  
>If this card is Synchro Summoned successfully; destroy cards on your opponent's field up to the LVL of the Tuner monster used in the Summon, and gain Life Points equal to the combined ATK of the non-Tuner monsters used in the Summon. If this card attacks a DEF position monster with less DEF than this card's ATK; inflict Piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. Once per turn; negate the effects of DARK attribute monsters this card battles until the end of the Damage Step. Once per turn, during your turn; if this card battles an opponent's monster with higher ATK or DEF than this card; you can banish one Program, Avatar, or Human-type monster from your Graveyard, and then target one monster on your opponent's side of the field. Decrease the targeted monster's ATK or DEF by the banished monster's ATK or DEF until the End Phase, whichever is the higher amount on the battling monster.'<br>**Appearance**: Similar to 'Leonidas' from 'Bakugan' game in figure. Gold lines across body that flash brightly whenever attacking, wears light golden armor with smoothed plating for greater movement.  
><strong>Chant<strong>: _Ningen no eikyou niyotte, nettowaaku ga koware te i masu! Jinsei no subete no houhou wo jouka wakuchin ni naru! Shinkuro Shokan! Anata jishin wo miru, Netcalibur Doragon!  
><em>(The network has been corrupted by the influences of man! Become the vaccine that will cleanse all ways of life! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Netcalibur Dragon!)  
>NOTE: LIGHT attribute and DARK attribute effectnegation is connected to 'Earthbound God/Immortals' of the 'Dark Signer' arc; all the 'Gods/Immortals' are DARK attribute.  
>NOTE: Potential backstory involving flashback or anonymous email message.<p>

5: 'Tera-Wing Netrunner Dragon'  
><strong>Submitter<strong>: Doccy Larsson Seraphim  
><strong>LVL<strong>: 8  
><strong>Attribute<strong>: LIGHT  
><strong>Type<strong>: Synchro/Dragon /Effect  
><strong>ATKDEF**: 2500/2000  
><strong>Effect<strong>: '1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters.  
>Once per turn; if you would pay or lose Life Points by a card effect, gain Life Points equal to that amount, and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to that amount until the End Phase. If this card would inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you can halve the Damage, and if you do; gain Life Points equal to that amount.'<br>**Appearance**: Mixture of Eastern and Western dragons of mythology with futuristic design. Serpentine white body with black stripes, cyberpunk theme with small green wings of shifting digital plates. Medium-size, bulky head, proportionate to rest of body; single eye on head that glows red. High-pitched, mechanical roar.  
><strong>Chant<strong>: '_Deeta ha me ni mie nai nettowaku no geeto wo toote nagare masu. Soshite ima, karerea ha subete issho ni kono saibanetikku juu no katachiwo keisei suru maaji! Shinkuro Shokan! Jibun jishin wo akiraka, Tera Tsubasaichisan Doragon!_'  
>(Data flows through the gate of the invisible network. And now, they all merge together to form the shape of this cybernetic beast! Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, Tera-Wing Netrunner Dragon!)<br>**NOTE**: This card connects to the typical Synchro Dragon idea and setup, depending on gender and is its own archetype, as is typical in 'Signer' Dragons.

6: 'Psychic Bond Dragon'  
>Submitter: Unidentified Guest<br>Attribute: LIGHT  
>LVL: 8<br>ATK/DEF: 2900/2300  
>Type: DragonSynchro/Effect  
>Effect: '1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters<br>Once per turn, you may choose one equal or higher LVL monster your opponent controls. Negate the selected monster's effects and reduce its ATK to 0 until the End Phase. When this monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard; banish one Tuner monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon this card from your Graveyard  
>Appearance: Similar to 'Mega Latios' from Pokemon, but slightly larger<br>Chant: '_Watashino kokorokara no omoide no sakuseiha de te kuru shi, nakamawo yobu sorera wo hogo suru! Shinkuro Shokan! Seishin tekina saiken no Doragon!_'  
>(Creation of my heartfelt memories, come forth and protect those I call comrades! Synchro Summon! Psychic Bond Dragon!)<p>

**Alright, these are the submissions for Samuel's 'ace' dragon card! Those mentioned in the suggestions, please inform me of any changes you wish to make to these ideas, or send me a confirmation message if you like it the way it is. The rest of you, send me ideas as to which one you think will work best! Of course, I will also be casting my own votes as well , but more as personal preference.**

**Now, then, let's get the usual disclaimer out of the way:** The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC, Duel Runner and Duel deck.

**Oh, and there weren't any reviews or comments that didn't include a suggestion, so no extra Reviews and Questions this time.**

**Onward with the Chapter!**

* * *

><p>"RIDING DUEL! ACCELERATION!"<p>

**[RIDING DUEL BEGINS]**

**[ROUND 1] [Samuel: 4000 LP/0 SPC] [Trudge: 4000 LP/0 SPC] [Cards in hand: 5 (Samuel), 5 (Trudge)]**

"I'll enjoy taking you out, Satellite thief!" the officer shouts as he draws his sixth card.

**[Samuel: 1 SPC] [Trudge: 1 SPC]**

"I'll start off by summoning Search Striker in Attack Mode!"

A blue portal opens alongside the officer's D-Wheel, bringing a humanoid warrior onto the battlefield. Its hands grip two laser pistols of enormous size while its shoulders each hoist a circular reflector shield, a dark blue vest billowing out as it levitates above the streets. A gray mask with gold ridges on the left side covers its face, its left eye blazing red as it utters a battle cry **(WIND, Warrior, 1600 ATK/1200 DEF, LVL 4)**.

"I'll continue my turn by placing two facedown cards." The Set cards appear for a brief moment before vanishing, my D-Wheel screen notifying me of their presence with red flashes. I remain silent as I notice Search Striker is able to hover as fast as the Runner—probably because of the autopilot or the Dueling program.

"Your move, Satellite!"

"Thanks for telling me," I say as I draw my card. "I'll take it!"

**[Samuel: 2 SPC] [Trudge: 2 SPC] [Cards in Hand: 6 (Samuel), 3 (Trudge)]**

"Let's see what you think of this! I summon Rielle "Kit" Peddler in Attack Mode!"

With a wave of blue energy, Rielle materializes on the field. Her concentration doesn't waver a bit as she summons green energy into her hands and feet. Before she falls, she begins to fly by my D-Wheel's right side as if she channels the very wind through her hands **(ATK: 1800)**.

"Is that some kind of new-fangled card," Trudge quickly asks with a sarcastic tone. "I've never heard of trash like that before."

"Call her what you will, officer," I answer aggressively, "but Rielle is a strong asset to my Deck, as are all my cards. Don't be negative on something just because of its appearance."

"Trash is still trash, boy, no matter how pretty or dangerous it looks. Any card in a Satellite's possession is trash from the start and needs to be recycled for a better Duelist."

"I'll teach you to insult my Deck!" I shout in anger as I take another card from my hand holster. "Speed Spell, activate! Double Summon!"

As our D-Wheels move up a ramp and onto the 'Old Highway', the Speed Spell is revealed, showing a woman inside an arena with her arms raised and channeling white energy through them. In front of her, a large beast is visible, surrounded by the same energy.

"Since I have 2 or more Speed Counters," I explain, "this card lets me Normal Summon or Set a second time this turn. I'll use that to Summon Gordian Blade!"

The Speed Spell glows white before the weapon shoots out into existence from the card as I place it on my Disk, blade unsheathed and floating alongside my D-Wheel's right side. The sunlight glints off of its surface, casting rays across the battlefield **(ATK: 2000)**.

"Not a bad display," Trudge comments smugly as a Set card on his field flips face-up. "Too bad it's all for nothing! Trap Card, activate! Climactic Barricade!"

The Trap flashes purple as a series of small metal spheres with red centers shoot out like cannonballs across my field. They quickly form a grid, purple lightning arcing between them and immobilizing my monsters.

"Since you Normal Summoned a monster, I can activate this card's effect," Trudge says with glee. "So, until the end of this turn, all LVL 4 or lower monsters you control can't attack!" I growl at this turn of events before resuming play; however, the same rage that I had felt against Kameno's gang begins to bubble inside me.

"I'll place a card face-down," I say, my earlier confidence vanishing like the wind whipping around my D-Wheel. "Turn end."

"Actually," Trudge interrupts suddenly, "that's not the end! I use the second effect of Climactic Barricade; for each LVL 4 or lower monster you control, you take 500 points of damage. Shocking, isn't it?"

I don't have the chance to react to the pun as the spheres combine their energies into one single blast of purple lightning. I scream out as it strikes me, my Runner wobbling frantically from the impact**(Samuel: 4000-3000 LP) (SPC: 2-1)**. Surprisingly, it takes only a second for me to regain control, my body acting on instinct again and leveling my Runner out.

_'Maybe these reactions are a memory trying to get loose,'_ I think. _'Rather than trying to interrupt my current situation, whatever these actions mean is trying to make itself known to me in a slower method.'_"It's your move, Trudge!"

**[Round 2] [Samuel: 3000 LP/1 SPC] [Trudge: 4000 LP/2 SPC] [Cards in hand: 2 (Samuel), 3 (Trudge)]**

"Good. Your turn is finally over. Now, the real fun begins!" The gruff officer firmly draws his card, chuckling as he notices it.

**[Samuel 2 SPC] [Trudge: 3 SPC]**

"I Summon the Tuner Monster Torapart!"

_'A Tuner Monster?! But, that means …'_

Another portal opens to Search Striker's left, revealing a human dressed like an apprentice wizard; the main thing that's different about this monster isthat its lower half is a second copy of itself instead of legs and feet. Two black disks join the copies together, both halves cackling like madmen **(DARK, Warrior/Tuner, 600 ATK/600 DEF, LVL 2)**.

"I can't currently defeat your monsters," Trudge admits despite his confidence. "But, I can now bring out something that can! I tune my LVL 2 Torapart with my LVL 4 Search Striker!"

The humanoid warrior floats skyward, the fused wizards waving their hands before turning into two green rings. As they pass over Search Striker's body, the warrior turns into four white stars. As green light passes through the rings and covers the stars, Trudge begins a chant for what sounds like a mighty creature…

"_Miyagare, kore ga Kenryoku da! Shinkuro Shokan! Deae, Goyou Gaadian!_"

As the green energy fades, a humanoid male floats down to Trudge's battlefield, a jutte twirling in his large hands. Its face is painted white with red markings over the eyes, its hairstyle looking Japanese in design. Its clothing strengthens this comparison; wooden sandals, a red robe with the image of a sun on the lower front and what looks like a blue mat on its back all cover parts of a form-fitting black robe. It breaks into an even run slightly above ground, twirling its weapon idly in preparation for the battle to come **(EARTH, Warrior/Synchro, 2800 ATK/2000 DEF, LVL 6)**.

"This icon of justice will make you know your place before me," Trudge cackles at my surprised expression. "From the moment you stole that Sector Security computer chip, you were destined to be taken out. What better way for that to occur than by a law-abiding officer such as myself?"

I laugh in response as I activate my Set card; Trudge's joy turns to shock as his new monster is shone under several lights, a familiar soldier now wearing a jetpack flying on my field and holding a display pad showing Goyo Guardian's image.

"Justice always comes with a price, Trudge," I say with a flashing grin of my own, "such as my Cyber Threat Counter Trap! Now, you have to pay 400 Life Points for every LVL your monster has, or it is destroyed! Since your monster's a LVL 6, you'll have to pay —"

"2400 Life Points," Trudge interrupts with a grunt of annoyance. "I can do the math just fine, and I'll pay for it as well. You don't get to be a keeper of the law without knowing how to take risks!"

A dark red aura glows around both of us, our Life Points dropping as the soldier's screen flashed an 'OK'. The soldier quickly flew into the air before vanishing, both of us grunting from the simulated pain**(Samuel: 3000-1800 LP/2-1 SPC) (Trudge: 4000-1600 LP/3-1 SPC)**.

"You Satellites always have some tricks up your sleeves," Trudge snidely comments as he accelerates his D-Wheel, "but tricks won't get you out of this Duel! Goyo Guardian, attack Gordian Blade! Goyo Lariat!"

Goyo Guardian yells out in an unknown language as it swings its jutte in a curved arc, the weapon smashing into Gordian Blade and causing a heavy dent on the surface. A shockwave of air bursts from the impact, making my D-Wheel wobble as further damage is dealt **(Samuel: 1800-1000 LP)**. To my surprise, the warrior then tugs on the jutte's rope, pulling Gordian Blade over to Trudge's side as it glows a shade of blue **(DEF: 1000)**.

"What have you done to my monster?!" I shout in rage.

"You didn't think Goyo Guardian had any abilities, did you? Well, he does! His ability lets me take control of any monster he destroys and force them into Defense Mode! Justice has your weapon held down, just as you'll be held behind the bars of the Facility!"

"This Duel isn't over yet, Trudge. I still have cards left to play!"

"Provided they can stand against my Guardian," Trudge sneers as Gordian Blade struggles to break free. "Otherwise, they're just target practice. I'll end my turn with another face-down."

I forcefully draw my card, a grin crossing my face as I realize that I could, potentially, win this round with the huge reduction to Trudge's Life Points caused by his Goyo Guardian's summoning. I just had to hope that face-down wasn't something that could break the combo. Our D-Wheels are almost at equal speeds now, the whine of Trudge's D-Wheel engine mixing with my own engine as we ride inches from each other.

Before I begin my turn, however, questions start appearing in my mind. Was this Duel actually worth it? Was it right to fight against the law like this? Then again, what if Trudge _isn't_ part of the actual 'law' of Satellite—Ida had said that Sector Security was ruthless in hunting down Satellites, but was that only for escaping to Neo Domino, like Yusei did? For that matter, was the whole accusation true? Sure, my Duel Runner got hacked into, but was this a one-time event or a continuous problem?

Maybe I should just pull over and surrender, since Sector Security can probably keep tracking me no matter where I am as long as I have that computer chip in my Runner. What point was there fighting against the law when it can reach you no matter where you are?

"_Indecision does not suit you, Netrunner,_" a familiar female voice says in my inner ear with a hint of amusement. I whip my head towards Rielle to find her floating just as before, except that her eyes are now locked with mine, forcing me not to look away.

"_We asked for your peace, Netrunner, in return for our power. This peace means internal and external, as both are part of the whole that is the human being. Make your choice here on your own terms, for we will support whatever path you choose to take._"

I take a deep breath, blocking out Trudge's demands for me to take my turn. Then, making my move, I turn towards Trudge while remaining silent. The officer and his monster both look on in confusion, Rielle not reacting at all to this change.

"Answer me this, Officer, because it's been bothering me for some time," I ask with as much seriousness I can muster considering the speeds we are traveling. "What do you honestly think of Satellite as a whole?" He blinks for a moment, seemingly confused by my sudden interest in such a large context.

"You see," I continue while our D-Wheels race over a long stretch of the Old Highway, "I'm a little… new to this place. Let's say I've come from better areas of life and wound up here through events best left undescribed. Now, as you are an officer of Satellite's Sector Security, it would do me wonders to learn the customs and regulations of this place from a model citizen such as yourself. That way, I could no longer cause any sort –"

"You think I'm falling for that crap?!" Trudge shouts in my face while slamming his D-Wheel into mine, my memory-based instincts barely able to keep myself stable as I fall back from his position.

"You Satellites always say the same old shit," Trudge continues as his face reddens with anger, "just like that coward Yusei Fudo. He always tries to sweet-talk his way around his opponents so that he can get ahead in life. Well, he can't! He's a stupid, cheap piece of Satellite trash, AS ARE YOU!"

To emphasize his point, Trudge powerslides his D-Wheel forward while facing me, snapping a finger at me like he is accusing me of committing a serious felony. Goyo Guardian adds in a mocking laugh while tugging Gordian Blade in some form of chokehold, the weapon futilely struggling against its bonds. After a few seconds of this action, Trudge skillfully realigns his D-Wheel several feet ahead of mine.

I hold my position as my vision starts to blur from anger. I see Rielle shake her head, whether from disappointment or annoyance, I couldn't tell. Looking at my hand again, I quickly devise my plan and begin executing it.

"Trudge!" I shout to my opponent as I hold a card in my right hand. "You gave the wrong answer! Let me show you why!"

**(Samuel: 2 SPC) (Trudge: 2 SPC)**

"I activate a Speed Spell, Angel Baton!" The Speed Spell reveals itself, showing an angel with flowing blond hair and dark blue eyes holding a small orb of glowing green light.

"As I have two or more Speed Counters, I now draw two cards from my Deck. I must then discard one card from my hand to the Graveyard."

"Squeezing some life out of your worthless cards," Trudge sarcastically comments as I draw my two cards, discarding a higher LVL monster that I knew I wouldn't need to use. "You've got nothing against my monsters. Once I take you in, I'll be promoted for sure! Then, your answer will mean nothing!"

"You'll get all that benefit _if_ you can survive this turn," I retort while smiling at the two new cards in my hand, somehow being just the ones I needed. A brief feeling of confusion passes through me as I wonder how I keep getting the cards I want, but I shake it off, focusing on the current circumstance.

"Let's continue with another Speed Spell," I announce as I place a card into my Disk. "Overboost! My Speed Counter total now increases by 6!"

The Spell activates showing three LVL stars racing forward at blinding speeds. My D-Wheel literally glows with new energy, the engine sound changing from a primal roar to the thunderous bellow of spaceship engines. Gunning the accelerator, I almost run Trudge over as I pass him by, the officer having to swerve hard to avoid being rammed from the side. The glare he gives me as we cross paths is quite satisfying **(Samuel: 2-8 SPC)**.

"Now," I finish with a powerslide of my own, not too different from Trudge's, that sends sparks flying. "The final Speed Spell of this Duel; the card that will defeat you! WHEELIE BREAKER!"

"No!" Trudge cries out. "Not that card! With that, you can –"

"— End this Duel! By removing 6 Speed Counters from my total, all your monsters are destroyed!"

I hold the card high towards Trudge to confirm it actually is that card before slamming it into my Disk. The art shows a D-Wheel tossing three humanoids skyward by executing a wheelie maneuver, the rider within shadowed by the cartoon explosion behind it. My D-Wheel's engine roars like a rocket lifting off as I raise my front wheel, turn towards Trudge's field and bear down like an oncoming storm**(Samuel: 8-2 SPC)**.

Goyo Guardian desperately swings its hostage as a shield, but the held Gordian Blade only shatters before my Runner's force, not slowing it down in the slightest. As I draw closer to Trudge, the officer swerves away with an angry shout. Goyo Guardian isn't so lucky, reacting a second too late to its controller's movement. It fails to hold my D-Wheel back and is crushed by the superior force into digital pixels.

"YOU BASTARD!" Trudge screams at me while avoiding a pothole on the highway. "I was so close to taking you in! But, I still have a chance on my next turn!"

"I'll have to say no to both of your comments," I respond as I swiftly change direction and race up to Trudge's position, my earlier anger now replaced with confidence at my plan working so well. "If you are an officer of the law here, then the law is just as corrupt as the people living under it! If I have to, I will break past the rules of society to complete my goals, and you won't stop me from doing so. _Nothing _stops the Netrunner!"

"The Netrunner?!" Trudge repeats in surprise.

"Rielle," I call out. "Attack Trudge directly and end this Duel! TRANSCENDED TERMINATION!"

Rielle obeys. Instead of summoning a digital spear, though, she narrows her eyes in concentration as multiple balls of energy appear above her head. With a flick of her right hand, the balls fly from above like bombs falling to the ground. Each ball falls near or on Trudge's D-Wheel, making the officer scream from the simulated pain **(Trudge: 1600-0 LP) [DUEL ENDS]**.

* * *

><p>As the Duel ends, I see a large 'X' appear on Trudge's Duel screen, smoke billowing out like it would in a car with a bad radiator. The officer struggles to keep his D-Wheel under control as it swerves more wildly than before, eventually spinning out and crashing on the highway's surface. His body rolls for a few feet before stopping, blood rising from a fresh cut across his right cheek.<p>

As I approach, I slow down to avoid killing the man, stopping a few feet before his sprawling body. Looking behind me quickly, I start as I see the other two officers that had been alongside Trudge before the Duel began are now gone. Counting my lucky stars that they got called off somewhere else or couldn't keep up, I look back at Trudge. As I wonder whether or not he got knocked out by the fall, he opens his eyes and weakly looks at me.

"How…?" he asks before coughing slightly. "How could this happen to me again? Beaten by another Satellite…"

"You're too confident in your own abilities, Officer Trudge," I explain with a tone similar to a teacher giving a talking-to. "No one is perfect, but everyone has the chance to become great. It's just how you choose to take that path that makes you who you are."

"Don't get preachy with me, Satellite," Trudge says with a grim smirk. "Your D-Wheel still has that computer chip tracking your location. If I can't catch you, someone will."

"Assuming your fellow Security officers can keep up," I remark. "The Netrunner can be elusive or aggressive when he wants to be." Before Trudge can respond, I floor the accelerator and race away, going down the nearest ramp to street level to avoid the other Security officers following Trudge.

* * *

><p><em>'Now,'<em> I wonder to myself while stopping in a deserted alleyway. _'Which way do I go? Do I head back to that store and complete the payment at the risk of the Security officers still being there __or __do I head back to the hideout at the risk of Security tracking me there and finding my friends?'_

Seeing that my D-Wheel has disengaged from the Riding Duel, I touch the display screen on a whim. The screen lights up before showing a digital map of the surrounding area, apparently receiving the signal from functional electrical devices nearby. Looking at the screen, I notice a strong signal emerging from the area where the store was, as well as one near what looked like the subway hideout. Other signals are dimmer, but still mark sources of energy for the map.

I then realize that the prior question is one of personal perspective more than anything else. Both the store and the hideout have strong sources of energy, but if what Trudge says is true, then neither place is fully safe for me. It just depends on who else I want to put in harm's way; my friends or a business client.

_'Best get out of the area before the officers arrive,'_ I muse before making my decision. Turning down a side street, I tap the screen a couple of times around the store, the display zooming in to reveal the store in more detail. Checking this new image, I notice one area of the digital 'rubbish' around the store isn't as heavily packed. Perhaps this is a back door to the store? If it is, it can be useful to avoid Security; the rubbish will deter anyone from closely investigating.

Nodding to myself, I set a cruising speed of 35 mph and head back to the store, carefully following the map's layout to find places to hide should Security still be around.

* * *

><p>Several minutes later, I check the map for what seems like the thousandth time as I edge towards the rear end of the store. I can't tell if it is the rear end, though; the rubbish and discarded parts stand like immovable sentinels blocking my path. I park my D-Wheel as close to these mountains as I dare, wanting it nearby in case I need to get away again.<p>

Disengaging my Duel Disk from the vehicle, I strap it onto my left wrist, take out the Speed Spells from my Deck and start looking for the entrance through the trash. At first glance, it seems impossible to get through without major damage to one's clothes, but I am looking beyond first glances, and the sight of no obvious entrance drives me to search harder. I start pressing through, trying my best to stay quiet as the rubbish around me starts to shift.

"Um… Excuse me?"

I stop like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, turning my head slowly to look behind me to where the quiet voice had come from. To my surprise, the woman from the store is standing by my D-Wheel, her hands behind her back, but her Duel Disk visible on her left arm.

"A-are you looking for me?" she asks after several awkward seconds pass between us. I shift back out from the rubbish piles, noting with displeasure some stains on my riding suit.

"Yes, I am," I firmly reply despite my appearance being like the poorest man on Earth. "I'm here to pay back for those Speed Spells and the Speed World Field Spell like I said before Sector Security tried to rush me down. If you need to recalculate the price, I have the cards right here."

"N-no need for that," she quickly says while waving her hands in dismissal. "I remember it exactly. 2620 DP."

So saying, we both open the 'Account' page of our Duel Disks and initiate the transfer of DP. In a few moments, it's all done.

"T-thank you for your purchase," the woman then says with practiced speed. "I hope you find the Speed Spells worthwhile."

"Oh, they have been," I respond, my mouth starting to run ahead of my brain. "Sector Security got a good taste of them just now. They couldn't stop the Netrunner!"

The woman's left hand flies to her mouth, parting her hair to reveal a shocked golden eye. My own hands cover my mouth as fear of what I had just said races through me. Why had I just gone and revealed that to her?! Now she'll know more about who I am, which is what I don't want right now!

"The Netrunner?" she asks in amazement. "S-so you're the one who defeated Kameno's gang!"

The question as to how this name got spread around so quickly comes to mind, but I dismiss it for now. "So, you've heard of me, then."

"Word t-travels faster than you think in Satellite," the woman stutters out while touching her index fingers together and looking away from me. "I only heard about it by eavesdropping on a recent conversation from one of Kameno's gang members. I think it was Ida, if I recall the n-name right."

"So, now I've got an alias name to deal with," I sigh in annoyance. "That's going to be tough."

"I think I c-could help you with that… That is, if you would let me."

"Oh? What help could you offer me?" My curiosity peaks at this woman's interest in keeping my alias identity or real identity a secret.

"W-well, if you could offer some extra DP to fix up the door you broke in order to escape …" Here, she smiles as I start to blush in embarrassment.

"I've got a stable amount left," I respond. "But what will you offer me?" She doesn't respond immediately, stepping towards me until we are almost face-to-face.

Then, taking a sudden deep breath, she pulls her left sleeve up above the shoulder, her bar code tattoo now visible to my eyes. Fully shown, it stretches up the arm and across the shoulder, no doubt stopping at her neck. As I stare in surprise, she then pulls her hair back to reveal her eyes, their colors reflecting in the sunlight. I shiver involuntarily as I stare at her, realizing now why she keeps her hair down like she does; it has to do with fear.

"As you can see," she says while returning her hair down and rolling down her sleeve, "I am not like most people, even in Satellite. Anyone who sees my true face fears me; you were frightened of me for a moment, as well."

"I… I didn't mean…"

"Oh, it's fine," she suddenly perks up with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I've grown used to it, like everyone else here. But, these changes came from connections to sources in better places."

"Like Neo Domino City?" I raise an eyebrow while crossing my arms in a demanding pose.

"Exactly. Looking at your build and your attitude, you don't look like someone from Satellite. You also probably have a desire to get to Neo Domino, like fulfilling a goal or recovering something you left behind."

"There is something of mine at Neo Domino I want to find," I carefully respond while trying not to sound amazed at this woman's intuitive abilities. "But what are you specifically offering me? Don't beat around the bush anymore."

"To be blunt," she explains while pointing at my D-Wheel, "I know your ride has a Sector Security computer chip powering it. I can send word of this to my Neo Domino friends, and they'll either come here personally to replace it or give you tips on how to prevent Security from finding the signal for a good amount of time."

"Speaking of," I rapidly ask while checking the area around us. "Is it safe for us to keep talking like this? I should probably get going –"

"We're fine, 'Netrunner'." I freeze again as her voice becomes firm and commanding, completely different from the shy attitude I saw her in a few seconds before. "Security is probably dealing with other crimes of more current danger. They'll be interested in your D-Wheel after a while, but we have some time to solve your problem."

"So, you'll help me, then? Just like that?" She doesn't respond at first; instead, she walks towards me with a strange saunter before leaning forward sharply close to my face. Her hair reveals enough of her eyes to show an amused glint. I feel sweat starting to grow on my body in fear or some strange lust for this in-your-face woman.

"No one who has a D-Wheel and enough DP to buy a whole stack of Speed Spells in one sitting is considered 'normal' in Satellite. Out here, you have to take the law into your own hands. You know this as much as I do, considering your single-handed takedown of Kameno's gang for the sake of your friends."

"Look, if you're trying to prompt me to join your cause, I'll need to know more about your contacts before –"

All words are lost in a surprised gasp as she suddenly shoots her hand down the top of my riding suit, her fingers cold to the touch. A second later, she pulls out the dog tags around my neck with a small cry of triumph, the back of the chain digging into my neck as she brings them closer to her view. As she looks at them, I faintly see her pupils dilate behind her hair, turning into pinpricks with surprise. Silence, again, fills the air around us.

"You should go," she finally says emotionlessly, letting the tags drop from her hands and swing back onto my chest. "You have greater problems than Security hounding your every move."

"Hang on. What about your help? How long will it take you to –"

"GO!"

I stumble back as she shoves me with enormous strength for her size, her eyes bright with hostility; or is that her fear from before showing through? Shaking my head in confusion, I race back to my Runner, activate it and speed away. The strange woman doesn't move during all this, only standing still with her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

* * *

><p>Some weaving and map checking later, I arrive back in the subway through an old entrance to the tunnels that my map detected, my D-Wheel's engine noise bouncing off the walls like an angry beast. As I wonder about the reason behind that woman's change in emotions, I see Nervin jump up in surprise at my arrival. I guess Tank and Rally haven't told him about how my Runner sounds.<p>

"Wow, Samuel," he calls out as I power off my ride. "That was your D-Wheel in the tunnels? I thought Sector Security had built a tank or something!"

"Very funny, Nervin," I chide as I look up at him from the tracks and take off my helmet. "Didn't Tank and Rally tell you and Blitz about the D-Wheel's abilities?"

"Well, that's the thing…" Nervin looks at the ground, his eyebrows narrowed in worry. I get off my D-Wheel as quickly as possible and jump up to him. "Tank and Blitz wound up crossing paths with Lenny from the plant we work at. Unfortunately for us, they crossed paths in a bad way; they haven't returned yet!"

"Didn't you try searching for them?" I sound a little more forceful than the situation calls for with this question, but my own fears start to rise at seeing Nervin's fear. "They're your friends, right? You should know if they're going to be in danger!"

"I know! I know!" Nervin raises his hands over his eyes and glasses as if he's about to cry. "But Lenny's friends are pretty threatening! They warned Rally and me not to interfere, or Tank and Blitz would be hurt!"

"So, I'm to be the official savior in place of Yusei, is that it? None of you can step up your game and take them on?" I can't block a bit of malice from creeping into this question, making me regret saying it almost instantly as Nervin lowers his hands from his face.

"Listen, I know you had to go through a lot to get me out of Kuroe's clutches, but Lenny is just as intimidating and his friends back him up with whatever he does. Kameno, from what I heard from him while I was held hostage, has a harder time controlling his gang than Lenny does. You've got to get them out of there! Rally wanted to head out, but I've told him to stay here until you arrived."

Looking beyond Nervin, I see Rally actually sleeping on the couch; apparently, he waited so long that he got tired from mental exhaustion or something. I look back at Nervin and let out a deep sigh before heading back to my D-Wheel.

"Consider this an act of deep friendship, Nervin," I warn him as my anger clashes with my sympathy for Nervin's predicament. "But don't let this be a recurring habit!" Nervin smiles brightly at my apparent agreement, though the way I said it could have meant a few other things.

"The plant is to the west of an old D-Wheel shop. You'll recognize the shop because it's almost covered by rubbish." I pause at this, realizing how close I had apparently _just_ been to the plant before coming back here. I choose not to voice this wonder to Nervin; he had enough trouble on his mind without adding the fact his friend could have _solved this problem_ without all this traveling!

"I'll be back with Tank and Blitz," I promise before donning my helmet again and gunning my D-Wheel's engine. As the sound thunders down the tunnels, I see Rally pop his head up from the couch and his eyes widen at my sudden arrival and subsequent departure. He doesn't get a chance to speak before I race off.

* * *

><p>About ten minutes later, after doing some more alleyway weaving to avoid Security, I see the 'plant' Nervin mentioned. Several large cylinders point upwards, releasing smoke into the surrounding air and covering the sunlight. The resulting air makes me cough slightly, a mild concern about Satellite's overall pollution entering my thoughts. Taking shorter breaths, I park my D-Wheel in a back alley close to the plant's entrance. Hopefully, it'll be here when I get back…<p>

Heading to the entrance after reattaching my Duel Disk to my arm, I see that the entrance is a large gate with a currently empty guard post attached slightly in front. Large metal walls surround the inside, the gate being chain-link wire with an extra layer of barbed wire on top. The sight of a deactivated security camera puts me on edge as I approach. I have a mission to complete, but I don't want to be seen after beating Officer Trudge in a Riding Duel, either.

It's then that I notice a slight gap in the guard booth's door as if someone else had come here beforehand and forgot to close the gate afterwards. Maybe there was a button inside that opened the gate; isn't that what these types of posts usually have? Taking the risk, I press slightly against the door with my hands, feeling it open without resistance.

The inside of the booth is as simple as I thought it would be. Only the instrument panel, a discarded coffee cup and a spare Sector Security helmet brighten the dark, gray walls of the cramped space. The instrument panel offers the most interest, consisting of several small screens probably connected to the cameras, but currently deactivated. My focus quickly draws itself to a switch with words 'OPEN' and 'CLOSE' marked next to the switch by a well-taped scrap of paper. Holding back a laugh at the apparent cheapness of Satellite's employed, I move the switch to the 'OPEN' side.

The gate opens almost silently, to my surprise. Was this because so many people went through it each day that it needed to remain in proper condition? A part of me was expecting loud squeaks or clanks to emerge from such a simple defense. Shrugging my shoulders, I head out of the post and through the gate, entering a large courtyard with scattered boxes and crates nearly blocking the sight of a similarly-built gate at the far end. Beyond that gate, I could faintly make out stairs leading up and down to other floors of the plant; the workers probably went up and down these steps to do their jobs.

Wait… Is that gate closing? Is this some sort of timed trial?! If I don't get through the next gate, I won't be able to get past this courtyard!

Sucking in a breath, I break into a sprint, my legs pounding smooth pavement as I weave my way through the boxes, similar to how Yusei was able to get through the oncoming trash in the pipeline. Unfortunately, I don't have the speed or the maneuverability advantage of a D-Wheel right now, my feet being the only method of moving forward. This thought makes my lungs burn with rising worry, my arms pumping all the faster to move my body quicker. My muscles begin to burn from overexertion, but I don't stop to rest; I can't stop now!

As the moments pass by and my goal seems to get no closer, I try to keep my mind calm and focused on keeping in rhythm, not breaking my concentration. My outer senses fade away, the only things that I notice being the pounding of my heart, the impact of my feet on the ground and the flow of air in and out of my lungs. Focusing on these three actions, I feel a calmness spread through my muscles, similar to how Rielle's voice brings peace to my mind. As I vault over a long box on its side and duck under the business end of an idle crane's hook, I notice a growing sense of detachment from my body. Somehow, my body knows what to do now as if it's on autopilot with the task at hand.

As the gate now comes fully into view, my mind emits shock as my eyes see the chain-link nearly completely closed. To climb up the fence and the above barbed wire would certainly be harmful to my hands, if not seriously damaging. No. I have to get through _now_!

So thinking, my body reacts by moving faster than before, my lungs cycling air in and out like hydraulics on a turbine. The burning in my legs and arms returns, slightly dulled by my apparent separation between mind and body. As my mind is about to scream for my body to stop for fear of collision, my body twists sideways and dives forwards, sliding through the diminishing gap with what feels like no extra space left.

Falling to the concrete, my mind fully returns to my body at exactly the wrong time. The pain that erupts from my limbs is agonizing, sweat pouring out of my body as I gulp in bucketful after bucketful of air. Each exhale is accompanied with a small groan or shout as a headache announces itself with a cacophony of thuds inside my skull. A wet feeling on my hands makes me raise one up carefully to my eye; sweat drips off of them as if I was in a sauna or spa. No doubt there'll be a body mark when I get up.

Seconds, minutes later, I feel the piercing pain start to fade into dull throbs, my entire body drained of energy. My mind is not so weakened, imploring my limbs to get up and move, to rescue my friends that are still in danger. I eventually comply, sitting upright first and taking several deep breaths before standing upright again.

Looking at the stairs, I start as my blurred vision notices a man with gelled spiky electric blue hair, a red blazer with matching running shoes and piercing black pupils standing at the top step. A comparison quickly comes forth, but my mind dismisses it as hallucinatory imagery caused by my overexertion.

That is, until he winks at me, clicks his fingers while pointing at me and says, "_Slick moves, Netrunner. I knew you could keep up_."

Before I can blink, the image of Ken 'Express' Tenma leaps onto the wall and jumps off in an upward direction and out of my sight.

It takes my mind and body several jumbled seconds to realize exactly what just occurred. When they finally join in unified conclusion, I am left more confused than before. Was this like Rielle's appearances, except Ken's way of appearing is to show up and help under physically stressful situations or is this another hallucination, as I first thought?

These questions race through my mind in a loop as I move up the steps towards the first floor, moving through a large open entranceway without considering what may be on the other side. What is on the other side isn't much to observe; just a few large conveyor belts on which trash probably passes through and some areas with more crates filled with unknown materials. The important sight of Blitz's form draws my attention immediately.

"BLITZ!" I cry out despite my slowly-recovering throat. The person in question finally notices my presence and smiles at my arrival. However, so does the huge, hulking person standing in front of him; he turns towards me with a leer, his eyes blinking heavily under his small sunglasses. The sunglasses are about the only thing about him that's small; his upper body is built very heavily, probably from lifting crates or from similar heavy work all day. The faded blue suit he wears indicates a fancy air to my mind, but the smirk he wears reminds me too much of Kuroe and his friends.

"Oh," he says with a deep voice and a slight accent. "You've come to help your friend here?" Blitz glares at the back of his neck as if he wants to burn a hole through this guy's head.

"You got that right," I respond while standing as strongly as my still-recuperating body allows. He blinks again and then chuckles, but not in a mocking way.

"Huh. You're a good friend." This comment from him throws me off slightly on this man's morals, but I try not to let my curiosity appear for external viewing.

"I'll assume you aren't just going to let me pass," I quickly reason when he doesn't move out of the way. "Can I at least inquire your name before we settle who gets Blitz over there?"

"It's Lug," the man responds while activating a standard Duel Disk on his left arm. "What's yours?"

"Samuel."

"Good to know; I like to know my opponent's names before I beat them into submission."

Blitz wisely stands to the side of us, appearing undamaged save for a repeated rubbing of his left arm. Suspecting a heavy bruise there, I focus myself further into making sure that Lug gets just what he deserves.

"DUEL!"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright then, that's enough for now. Leading from one Duel into another, the story goes on!<strong>

**As said in the header A.N., please let me know which card you believe will work best for Samuel's Deck (I will, again have my own vote as well as personal preference). Those who sent in a suggestion, let me know of any changes or if you like your submission how it is.**

**Thank you all for continuing to show interest in my work. Reviews, comments, critcisims (constructive, please) are allowed. And the floor is still open for additional ideas from all of you!**

**Draconos is taking off!**


End file.
